Search Unity

  1. Megacity Metro Demo now available. Download now.
    Dismiss Notice
  2. Unity support for visionOS is now available. Learn more in our blog post.
    Dismiss Notice

Unity: Terminology, Acronyms, Translations

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by CharlieSamways, Apr 16, 2012.

  1. CharlieSamways

    CharlieSamways

    Joined:
    Feb 1, 2011
    Posts:
    3,424


    Add this to your signature if you wish to help new users find some basic information.​



    Code (csharp):
    1. [CENTER][URL="http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/132458-Table-of-contents-amp-Thread-translation"]Unity Terminology and Acronyms![/URL][/CENTER]
    Introduction

    This thread has been created on behalf of Pat.Mathis and his idea of a translation thread where people may post there ill-constructed posts/threads and request for them to be re-written by the users in a more presentable manner, also, to add to this, this thread will contain a selection of development terms and unity lingo that you may see be used around the forums but unsure of there meanings. This thread will also contain several tips on how to portray yourself in the forums to avoid flaming and any other community issues.

    Chapters:

    ·1 - Unity Forum Lingo And Acronyms - Acronyms used around the forum and basic terminology.
    .2 - Defining Genre - Game genre briefs and descriptions.
    ·3 - Unity Engine Terminology - Brief descriptions of a selection of Unity components.
    ·4 - 3D Software Terminology - Brief descriptions and definitions of a selection of 3d software terminology.
    ·5 - 2D Software Terminology - Brief descriptions and definitions of a selection of 2d software terminology.
    ·6 - Tips For Presentation - How to portray and present yourself.
    ·7 - Unity Translation - About submitting you're threads/posts for correction and translation.

    Unity Forum Lingo And Acronyms

    This segment of the thread contains an alphabetized list of acronyms and some meanings of words that you may see around the forums. It is recommended that you should write in full rather than using some of these acronyms for clarity in your posts. If you have any acronyms or terms you wish to be added to the list, Post below in the same format as they are presented here.

    A
    ·AFAIK = As Far As I Know

    B
    ·Bump = Bring Up My Post

    C

    D
    ·DFTT = Don’t feed the trolls

    E

    F
    ·FAQ – Frequently Asked Question(s)
    ·Flamer = Someone who makes inflammatory, abusive or directly offensive comments.
    ·FYI = For your information
    ·FOV = Field Of View

    G
    ·GUI = Game User Interface / Graphical User Interface
    ·GDD = Game Design Document
    ·Gooey = Terminology used to refer to GUI (Game User Interface / Graphical User Interface)

    H
    ·Handle = Name used in online chat/forum ect
    ·HTH = Hope This Helps
    ·HTML = Hypertext Markup Language

    I
    ·IMO = In My Opinion
    ·IMHO = In My Honest Opinion / In My Humble Opinion
    ·IRC = Internet Relay Chat
    ·IRL = In Real Life
    ·ITYM = I Think You Mean

    J
    ·Jaggy = Aliased Computer Graphics
    ·J/K = Joke / Just Kidding
    ·JGI = Just Google It

    K
    ·KK = "Ok", Primarily seen in chat.

    L
    ·Lag = Slang term for slow Internet speeds or high Internet latency
    ·LFG = Looking For Group
    ·LFM = Looking For More
    ·Lurker = Someone who frequents a Usenet group without participating in discussions

    M
    ·MMO = Massively Multi-player Online
    ·MMOFPS = Massively Multi-Player Online First Person Shooter
    ·MMOG = Massively Multi-Player Online Game
    ·MMORPG = Massively Multi-player Online Role Playing Game
    ·MOTD = Message of the day
    ·MOO = Multi-User Domain - Object Oriented

    N
    .NPS = Non-Photo Realistic
    ·Noob = An inexperienced user or an annoying person.
    ·NSFW = Not Safe For Work; Warning about content that may get the viewer in trouble with his employer or co-workers, Adult clips/games.
    ·NDA = Non-Disclosure Agreement
    ·Null = Nothing
    ·NTC = Non-Twitch Controls, The user has no direct control over his or her character but instead controls the game, which relays instructions to said character.

    O
    ·OP = Original poster / Opening Post / Over Powered
    ·OS = Operating System
    ·OT = Off Topic
    ·OO = Object Orientated
    ·OOP = Object Orientated Programming
    ·OTT = Over the Top - usually describing behavior or design.

    P
    ·Ping = Ping is a computer network administration utility used to test the reachability of a host on an Internet Protocol
    ·P2P = Peer To Peer / Pay To Play
    ·PLMK = Please Let Me Know
    ·POV = Point Of View
    ·PVE = Player Versus Environment.
    ·PVP = Player Versus Player
    ·[/BPCS = Pre-rendered Cut Scene, often capable of higher graphical output

    Q
    ·QFT = Quoted For Truth

    R
    ·RL = Real Life
    ·RPG = Role Playing Game
    ·RTS = Real Time Strategy
    ·RTCS = Real Time Cut Scene, the cutscene is viewed in real time as it is executed in the engine with a mixture of animations and scripts
    ·RTT = Real Time Tactics
    ·RTM = Read The Manual

    S
    ·Snail mail = Normal paper mail service
    ·STW = Search The Web
    ·SSS = Sub-Surface Scattering
    ·SHMUP = SHoot 'eM UP
    ·SQL = structured query language

    T
    ·TBH = To Be Honest
    ·TOS = Terms Of Service
    ·TTT = To The Top; used to bump a thread
    ·TPS = Third Person Shooter
    ·TBS = Turn Based Strategy
    ·TBT = Turn Based Tactics
    ·TC = Twitch Controls, the game is controlled directly by the player, generally used in FPS genre

    U
    ·UTSE = Use The Search Engine

    V
    ·Voxel = (Volumetric Pixel) is a volume element, representing a value on a regular grid in three dimensional space.

    W
    ·W/O = Without
    ·WTB = Want To Buy
    ·WTS = Want To Sell
    ·WTT = Want To Trade

    X

    Y
    ·YHBT = You Have Been Trolled
    ·YW = You’re Welcome.
    ·YOYO = You’re On Your Own.
    ·YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary

    Z

    Symbols and Numerical

    ·@ = AT, for example @CharlieSamways. generally used when directing a message towards a user.
    ·3D = 3 dimensional; containing a X,Y and Z axis
    ·2D = 2 dimensional; containing a X and Y axis
    ·2.5D = Is played in 3D but constrained to 2D perspective

    For a full extensive list of general use acronyms use the reasources below:

    Click Here
    Click Here




    Defining Genre


    ·Advergames = Games developed for advertising purposes.

    ·Adventure = Adventure games involve exploration of, and interaction with, the environment as a main facet of gameplay.

    ·Classic Arcade = Classic arcade games refer to games that originally existed on freestanding coin-operated machines, Generally with a pixel art feel and style.

    ·Fighting = Fighting games involves rendering opponents unconscious or dead by using a number of different moves.

    ·First Person Shooters = Games in which the player has a first-person perspective of their character and generally have a selection of weaponry to use.

    ·First Person Sneaker = This is a sub-genre of First Person Shooter, where the focus is on stealth rather than combat or shooting.

    ·MMORPG = 'Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games' are multi-player role-playing games that enable thousands of players to play in a virtual online world at the same time.

    ·MOO = 'Multi-User Domain - Object Oriented' is a type of MUD that allows players greater freedom such as creating new objects and character descriptions and programming new verbs.

    ·MUD = 'Multi User Dimension' (or 'Multi User Dungeon' or 'Multi-User Domain') is a text-based, game-world on the internet where the players can interact using text commands. Generally RPG games.

    ·Platform = Platformers are games in which the player jumps from platform to platform. Game-play generally includes running and jumping.

    ·Puzzle = Puzzle games are games that usually require the player to solve a puzzle such as a maze, logical problem or positioning different pieces together.

    ·Racing = Racing games involve the player competing in races, generally in vehicles.

    ·RPG = 'Role Playing Games' are games in which the player's character has skills and abilities represented by statistics. Gameplay involves the characters exploring and completing quests that build up their statistics and possessions. Can be single or multi-player. Generally there are several roles to choose from, stereotypically: Mage, Warrior and Ranger.

    ·Shooters = Shoot em' Up or Shooter games involve shooting or destroying multiple objects and opponents.

    ·Strategy= Strategy games require the player to take on a leadership role and oversee every detail of the provided scenario(s). Gameplay focuses on strategies and careful planning and resource management in order to win.

    ·RTS= 'Real Time Strategy' games are strategy games played in real time.

    ·Educational/Serious = Educational/serious games are games aimed at teaching, discussing or debating real-world concepts via gameplay.

    ·Simulations = Simulation games attempt to realistically mimic conditions of a particular environment or activity.

    ·Sports = Sports Games emulate traditional physical sports such as basketball and golf.

    ·TPS = 'Third Person Shooters' offer players a third person perspective of their character.



    Unity Engine Terminology


    All information here has been gathered from the Unity reference manual and simplified to give a short definition and explination of each of the terms. To see more and gain a more thorough understanding visit here: http://unity3d.com/support/documentation/Components/index.html Once again if you feel any terms are missing, post below to have them added, Also if any are incorrect, post to have them changed. Featured here are Asset components, Audio Components, Animation Components and Physics Components. Upon request I shall take the time to document all features seen in the official documentation.

    Asset Components

    Assets are the models, textures, sounds and all other "content" files from which you make your game.

    ·Cubemap Texture = A Cubemap Texture is a collection of six separate square Textures that are put onto the faces of an imaginary cube. Most often they are used to display infinitely faraway reflections on objects, similar to how Skybox displays faraway scenery in the background

    ·Meshes = At the core of any 3D game are Meshes - objects consisting of triangles, with textures applied.

    ·Flare = The Flare itself is a combination of a texture file and specific information that determines how the Flare behaves.

    ·Font = Fonts can be created or imported for use in either the GUI(Game/Graphical User Interface) Text or the Text Mesh Components.

    ·Movie Texture = Movie Textures are animated Textures that are created from a video file. By placing a video file in your project's Assets Folder, you can import the video to be used exactly as you would use a regular Texture.

    ·Procedural Materials = Procedural Material Assets are textures that are generated for you while the program/game is running

    ·Render Texture = Render Textures are special types of Textures that are created and updated while the program/game is running

    ·Text Asset = Text Assets are a format for imported text files.

    ·Texture 2d = Textures bring your Meshes, Particles, and interfaces to life, They are image or movie files that you lay over or wrap around your objects.


    Click here to find out more about Assets in Unity.


    Audio Components

    These Components implement sound in Unity.

    ·Audio Clips = The audio data used by Audio Sources. Unity supports mono, stereo and multichannel audio assets

    ·Audio Listener = It acts as a microphone-like device. It receives input from any given Audio Source in the scene and plays sounds through the computer speakers.

    ·Audio Source =The Audio Source plays back an Audio Clip in the scene. If the Audio Clip is a 3D clip, the source is played back at a given position and will reduce the amplitude over distance.

    ·Audio Filters = AudioSources and the AudioListener can have filter components applied, by adding the filter components to the same GameObject the AudioSource or AudioListener is on. Filter components change the way the sound is heard by adding features such as echos.

    ·Reverb Zones = Reverb Zones take an Audio Clip and distortionates it depending where the audio listener is located inside the reverb zone. They are used when you want to gradually change from a point where there is no ambient effect to a place where there is one. For example when you are entering a cavern.


    Click here to find out more about Audio in Unity.



    Animation Components

    ·Animation = The default animation that will be played when a scene is played/started.

    ·Animation Clips = store all animation data that can be used for animated characters or simple animations.


    Click here to find out more about Animation and Unity.


    Physics Components

    Unity has NVIDIA PhysX physics engine built-in. This allows for unique emergent behaviour and is generally very cool.

    ·Box Collider = The Box Collider is a basic cube-shaped collision primitive which detects when an asset collides to trigger events.

    ·Capsule Collider = The Capsule Collider is made of two half-spheres joined together by a cylinder which detects when an asset collides to trigger events.

    ·Character Controller = The Character Controller is mainly used for third-person or first-person player control that does not make use of Rigidbody physics.

    ·Constant Force = Constant Force is a quick utility for adding constant forces to a Rigidbody.

    ·Fixed Joint = Fixed Joints restricts an object's movement to be dependent upon another object

    ·Hinge Joint = The Hinge Joint groups together two Rigidbodies, constraining them to move like they are connected by a hinge.

    ·Mesh Collider = The Mesh Collider takes a Mesh Asset and builds its Collider based on that mesh. It is far more accurate for collision detection than using primitives for complicated meshes, It detects when another asset collides to trigger events.

    ·Physic Material = The Physic Material is used to adjust friction and bouncing effects of colliding objects.

    ·Rigid Body = Rigidbodies enable your GameObjects to act under the control of physics.

    ·Sphere Collider = The Sphere Collider is a basic sphere-shaped collision primitive which detects when an object collides to trigger events.

    ·Spring Joint = The Spring Joint groups together two Rigidbodies, constraining them to move like they are connected by a spring.

    ·Interactive Cloth = The Interactive Cloth class is a Component that simulates a "cloth-like" behavior on a mesh.

    ·Wheel Collider = The Wheel Collider is a special collider for grounded vehicles. It has built-in collision detection, wheel physics, and a slip-based tire friction model


    Click here to find out more about Physics in Unity.



    Image Effect Scripts

    This group handles all Render Texture-based fullscreen image postprocessing effects. They are only available with Unity Pro. They add a lot to the look and feel of your game without spending much time on artwork.

    ·Anti-aliasing (Post Effect) = The Antialiasing (PostEffect) offers a set of algorithms designed to give a smoother appearance to graphics

    ·Bloom And Lens Flares = Blooming is the optical effect where light from a bright source (such as a glint) appears to leak into surrounding objects. The Bloom and Lens Flares image effect adds bloom and also automatically generates lens flares in a highly efficient way.

    ·Colour Correction Curves = Color Correction Curves make color adjustments using curves for each color channel. Depth based adjustments allow you to vary the color adjustment according to a pixel's distance from the camera.

    ·Contrast Enhance = The Contrast Enhance image effect enhances the impression of contrast for a given camera. It uses the well-known unsharp mask process available in image processing applications.

    ·Crease = The Crease is a common non-photorealistic (NPR) rendering technique that enhances the visibility of objects by adding outlines of variable thickness.

    ·Depth Of Field 3.4 = Depth of Field 3.4 is a common postprocessing effect that simulates the properties of a camera lens. The name refers to the fact that the effect has had significant performance and feature improvements in Unity 3.4.

    ·Edge Detect Effect Normals = This version of the Edge Detect image effect creates outlines around edges by taking the scene geometry into account.

    ·Fish-eye Image Effect = The Fisheye image effect creates distorts the image as if viewed through a fisheye lens

    ·Global Fog = The Global Fog image effect creates camera-based exponential fog. All calculations are done in world space which makes it possible to have height-based fog modes that can be used for sophisticated effects

    ·Sun Shafts = The Sun Shafts image effect simulates the radial light scattering (also known as the "god ray" effect) that arises when a very bright light source is partly obscured.

    ·Tilt Shift = Tilt Shift is a specialized version of the Depth of Field effect that allows for very smooth transitions between focused and defocused areas.

    ·Vignetting = The Vignetting image effect introduces darkening, blur and chromatic aberration at the edges and corners of the image.

    ·Blue Image Effect = The Blur image effect blurs the rendered image in real-time.

    ·Colour Correction Image Effect = Color Correction allows you apply arbitrary color correction to your scene as a postprocessing effect (just like the Curves tool in Photoshop or Gimp).

    ·Contrast Stretch Image Effect = Contrast Stretch dynamically adjusts the contrast of the image according to the range of brightness levels it contains.

    ·Edge Detection Image Effect = Edge Detect image effect adds black edges to the image wherever color differences exceed some threshold.

    ·Glow Image Effect = Glow (sometimes called "Bloom") can dramatically enhance the rendered image by making overbright parts "glow".

    ·Greyscale Image Effect = Grayscale is a simple image effect that changes colors to grayscale.

    ·Motion Blue Image Effect = Motion Blur image effect enhances fast-moving scenes by leaving "motion trails" of previously rendered frames.

    ·Noise Image Effect = Noise is an image postprocessing effect that can simulate both TV and VCR noise.

    ·Sepia Tone Image Effect = Sepia Tone is a simple image effect that tints an image to resemble an old photograph.

    ·Screen Space Ambient Occlusion (SSAO) = Screen Space Ambient Occlusion (SSAO) approximates Ambient Occlusion in realtime

    ·Twirl Image Effect = The Twirl image effect distorts the rendered image within a circular region. The pixels at the centre of the circle are rotated by a specified angle; the rotation for other pixels in the circle decreases with distance from the centre, diminishing to zero at the circle's edge.

    ·Vortex Image Effect = The Vortex image effect distorts the rendered image within a circular region. Pixels in the image are displaced around a central circular area by a specified angle; the amount of displacement reduces with distance from the centre, diminishing to zero at the circle's edge.


    Click here to find out more about Image effects in Unity.


    3D Software Terminology


    This segment will explain some basic terminology you may come across when using any 3d software package such as blender, Maya, 3DS max and others. Comment below if you wish to have any terminology that you know included or any terminology here changed.

    ·Aliasing = Artifact or distortion, often referred to as 'jaggies'. In a 3D rendered image, the most common example is the stair-stepping effect seen along the edges of objects.

    ·Ambient Occlusion = Ambient Occlusion is a shading method that is often used as a replacement to Global Illumination because it can be much faster to render and easier to control.

    ·Anti-aliasing = Techniques to remove aliasing artifacts.

    ·Bump mapping = A Bump Map alters a mesh height and/or depth visually by using different strengths of light on a texture map, but it does not alter the mesh geometry.

    ·Constraints = Limits movement and rotation

    ·Convex hull = a convex hull is points that can never form a concave bridge

    ·Displacement mapping = An alternative technique in contrast to bump mapping, normal mapping, and parallax mapping, that uses a heightmap to cause an effect where the actual geometric position of points over the textured surface are displaced along the surface normal according to the values stored into the texture.

    ·Dynamics =The branch of mechanics dealing with the way masses move under the influence of forces.

    ·Heightmap = A grayscale digital image used to store three-dimensional data. It´s usually used in bump mapping, displacement mapping and for terrain mesh generation. In a heightmap, the intensity of a pixel's color represents the height displacement of the mesh's corresponding coordinate. A white pixel represents the highest point in the map while a black pixel marks the lowest point in the map.

    ·Keyframe = A frame from an animated sequence, at which a significant animation event or change takes place.

    ·Fixed Function = A Fixed Function is a hardware limitation, where the hardware can't do programmable shaders. Instead you set states prior to your draw calls.

    ·Surface Shaders in Unity is a code generation approach that makes it much easier to write lit shaders than using low level vertex/pixel shader programs.

    ·Normal = A three-dimensional vector which is perpendicular to a surface.

    ·Normal Mapping = It is used to add details to shading without using more polygons.

    ·Pixel Shader = A graphics processing function that calculates effects on a per-pixel basis.

    ·SSS = Sub-Surface Scattering. The effect of light penetrating a surface and illuminating the inner layers.

    ·Texel = Texture element. A pixel that is part of a texture map.

    ·Texture mapping = The process of assigning an image to a 3d surface.

    To see the full manual simply Click Here.



    2D Software Terminology


    This segment will explain some basic terminology you may come across when using any 2d software package. such as Photoshop, Illustrator, Gimp and others. Comment below if you wish to have any terminology that you know included or any terminology here changed.

    ·Artboard = Printable portion of the work area, where illustrations can be finalized.

    ·Bitmap Images = Images created using a grid of small squares called pixels. also called raster images or pixel images.

    ·CMYK = The color mode used for printed output. cyan (c). magenta (m), yellow (y), and black (k) inks are combines to create the desired colors.

    ·Colour Mode = Determines the color model used to display and print the file.

    ·Guides = Non-printing lines that can be used to create boundaries or guidelines in a drawing.

    ·Picas = Measurement system frequently used in graphic design. there are six picas to an inch.

    ·RGB = The color mode used for illustrations to be viewed on computer monitors. red (R), green (G), and blue (B) are combined with light.

    ·Vector Graphics = Illustrations made up of lines and curves that are defined by vectors created with mathematical formula.

    ·Anti-Aliasing = Anti-aliasing makes text and shapes look smooth in bitmap graphics.

    ·Gradient = A gradient, or graduated fill, is a color fill that gradually blends from one color to another.

    ·Tonal Histogram = A histogram that is a graph that depicts the tonal range of an image.

    ·Layer = Layers are used to work separately on different 'pieces of paper' and overlay them. They are used so that you can work on a certain item without effecting the rest of the document.

    ·Noise = Noise in digital photos consists of any undesirable flecks of random color in a portion of an image that should consist of smooth color.

    ·Sprite = A two dimensional image, often with transparent areas, that is drawn to the screen from frames of images to create a moving image.

    ·Tile Map = A tile map is a graphics technique which generates a larger graphic from re-using a number of smaller graphics to save RAM and increase real-time rendering performance. This technique is used to create many 2d games such as the Super Mario Bros and Sonic.


    Tips For Presentation


    When writing your posts/threads you should try be as careful as possible with spelling, grammar and terminology. Along with the use of acronyms. It is recommended that you avoid as much acronym use as possible as it 'dumbs down' the quality of your post/thread. For spelling it is always best to spell check your post/thread to avoid silly mistakes that may make your post/thread hard to understand, If you are uncertain about the corrections offered by spell checker you should Google the definition of the suggested word to find out whether it fits. Grammar checking is one of my least done habits, which is unfortunate. You should always double check your post/thread to see whether it makes sense and also to check for punctuation.

    Aside the English aspect of your writing you should attempt to make your post/thread looks nice, to do this you can add simple formatting by: underlining key headings to define points throughout your post/thread; italicize important words you wish to emphasize; Paragraph when relevant to avoid topics with no relevance merging; Use align center when appropriate and wrap any code in code tags. To check whether your post/thread is looking okay just hit the preview button beneath.

    Another tip you may want to consider is the feel of your writing. If you wish to be taken seriously you should make a strong attempt to portray yourself in a 'professional' mannerr. Try not to type how you would talk to your friends, try to avoid implying emotion in your post/thread as emotion is not greatly understood over text and can be misunderstood.

    If anyone has any tips for presentation and portraying yourself please post below and I can add overtime.



    Unity Post And Thread Translation


    The idea is that you may post below your threads and posts to have them corrected or translated by the community, The reason for this is so that if you wish to create a more professional and well presented thread you can do so without having to rely on Google translator or your spell checker. Please bare in mind that the community are still just people who do also make mistakes in typing but I hope to see everyone help as much as they can.

    To those looking for corrections and translations:

    If you are planning on having your thread corrected please still try your best to write the thread/post clearly so the corrector can understand what you want to be said. If you are planning on having your thread translated you can attempt to Google translate your thread/post to then have it corrected but it is not required. We are sorry in advance if no body can help your translation, Just remember that there may not be anyone who knows the language well enough to translate.

    To those looking to help in the translation and/or correction:

    If you are planning on correcting someones post please be extra careful in doing so and only do so if you feel your English is at a high enough standard to ensure quality presentation. Formatting is also acceptable when re-writing a thread/post but remember to re-post it in code tags with a preview of the final presentation also. When you have corrected someones thread/post respond to them simply by using the '@' symbol and there name like you would in any other thread, it is then there choice whether they wish to use your corrected version or not. If you are translating a post from another language please make sure it is a language you know thoroughly, It would be even better if the language is your native language.

    Thank you for reading and I hope many if any find use for this thread, if you have any acronyms or terms you wish adding please write below.

    Humble Regards
    -Charlie Samways; www.csamways.com

    NOTE: I shall be adding to the 2d terminology shortly.
     
    Last edited: Apr 20, 2012
  2. Zen-Davis

    Zen-Davis

    Joined:
    Aug 14, 2009
    Posts:
    285
    Thanks Charlie for a wonderful job! (Can I get paid now?)
     
  3. CharlieSamways

    CharlieSamways

    Joined:
    Feb 1, 2011
    Posts:
    3,424
    Updated:

    -Chapter 2, Game genres
    -Removed junk acronyms
    -Added meaningful acronyms

    And haha Zen :').... No.. :mad:
     
  4. CharlieSamways

    CharlieSamways

    Joined:
    Feb 1, 2011
    Posts:
    3,424
    Update:

    -Unity Terminology; Image effects.
    -More Acronyms
     
  5. TehWut

    TehWut

    Joined:
    Jun 18, 2011
    Posts:
    1,577
    IMHO also means "In My Humble Opinion", quite different from it's counterpart ;)

    Good work you put a lot of effort into this, but I agree most of the slang could be removed
     
  6. CharlieSamways

    CharlieSamways

    Joined:
    Feb 1, 2011
    Posts:
    3,424
    Thanks :) In the process of moving the slang and only keeping the slang that is actually used, for example IMHO and AFAIK ect ect. If anyone has any technical acronyms or terms they wish adding please do not hesitate to help!

    -CharlieSamways
     
  7. stimarco

    stimarco

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2007
    Posts:
    721
    I wouldn't bother including any general internet slang. Just link to a site that covers that topic already—there's no shortage of them. (And you'd be teaching readers another useful programming skill: reusability!)

    Just focus on concepts that are specific to Unity. It'll make the original post much easier to maintain.
     
  8. Adam-Buckner

    Adam-Buckner

    Joined:
    Jun 27, 2007
    Posts:
    5,664

     
  9. CharlieSamways

    CharlieSamways

    Joined:
    Feb 1, 2011
    Posts:
    3,424
    Thanks Angel!

    Updates:

    -Making it look pretty
    -Acronyms sorting again
    -Adding resource links
     
  10. virror

    virror

    Joined:
    Feb 3, 2012
    Posts:
    2,963
    Nice thread.
    Btw, MMOFPS is duplicated.
     
  11. CharlieSamways

    CharlieSamways

    Joined:
    Feb 1, 2011
    Posts:
    3,424
    Thank you; Changed.
     
  12. npsf3000

    npsf3000

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2010
    Posts:
    3,830
    "·Lag = Slang term for slow Internet speeds or high Internet latency"

    Lag refers to latency. Slow internet speeds or high ping are just some common examples :)
     
  13. JamesLeeNZ

    JamesLeeNZ

    Joined:
    Nov 15, 2011
    Posts:
    5,616
    I had no idea bump was an acronym! /informed
     
  14. OmniverseProduct

    OmniverseProduct

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2012
    Posts:
    1,568
    I didn't realize that either!
     
  15. CharlieSamways

    CharlieSamways

    Joined:
    Feb 1, 2011
    Posts:
    3,424
    I had no idea either :) i believe its called a backronym.
     
  16. CharlieSamways

    CharlieSamways

    Joined:
    Feb 1, 2011
    Posts:
    3,424
    Looking for some help on acronyms that you will find in the Unity Engine as I do not use it very often myself..

    Have tones of 2D terminology to update tonight just need to get a minute free.

    -Charlie
     
  17. CharlieSamways

    CharlieSamways

    Joined:
    Feb 1, 2011
    Posts:
    3,424
    Update:

    -New thread title
    -Acronyms/Terminology

    Need to add lots of 2d terminology I just haven't found the time today.

    Please get involved and write down any acronyms, terminology for: Unity, 2d or 3d software and also tips on how to portray yourself in a professional manner..

    Thank you to those who have from the unity skype which you can find in my signature.

    Regards
    -Charlie
     
    Last edited: Apr 20, 2012
  18. JRavey

    JRavey

    Joined:
    May 12, 2009
    Posts:
    2,377
    The definition of "authoritative server" is not even remotely close, data validation should be done in any multiplayer game, but that is not what makes it authoritative. Also, your definition of "non-authoritative" isn't in the ball park.

    Your definition of "histogram" is actually a "tonal histogram", which is a type of histogram.
     
  19. CharlieSamways

    CharlieSamways

    Joined:
    Feb 1, 2011
    Posts:
    3,424
    Thank J, Ill remove the server ones and correct the histogram.

    If you know the correct definitions please fell free to share so I can correct them also.
     
  20. JRavey

    JRavey

    Joined:
    May 12, 2009
    Posts:
    2,377
    It's also "image histogram", either should be fine. The point is, histograms are a generic type of graphical representation of data.

    What makes a server authoritative or not is basically whether or not it keeps the official copy of data and actions. In a non-authoritative FPS, your client may determine your hits and damage applied; whereas in an authoritative one, the server would decide all of that. If your client is out of sync on an authoritative model, that's usually your problem; in a non-authoritative model, it's an opportunity for willful disaster. Some good servers try to account for lag and give you a chance by running a reverse simulation.

    Also, if the game has players host the games in an authoritative model, the hosting player has more opportunity to cheat as the data actually resides on their system. In a non-authoritative model, everybody has about the same opportunity for cheating. Ideally, the developer would host the server and then nobody has direct access to the authoritative data.
     
  21. CharlieSamways

    CharlieSamways

    Joined:
    Feb 1, 2011
    Posts:
    3,424
    If you have that in terms I could put into the OP then that would be great, I'm afraid my knowledge is a bit loose weaven on what you have said.
     
  22. stimarco

    stimarco

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2007
    Posts:
    721
    You might want to correct the spelling of "terminology" in that first post too.

    Also, it's "professional manner", not "professional manor". A manor is a type of house, or a slang term for a criminal's territory. (As in: "Oi! Get off my manor! I do the beating up around 'ere, you slag!"—you'll hear something like this in pretty much every British gangster movie.)


    The terminology may have changed since I was active in the field in the early '90s. We used terms like "sprite" and "blitting". I'm pretty sure the latter term has fallen out of common use; there was a time when hardware blitter chips would be used to help move graphical data around a screen very quickly—the equivalent back then of 3D graphics acceleration. But 3D graphics cards don't explicitly do that now; it's all done using textures and UV coordinates. The concept of "blitting" also gave rise to "BOBs"—as in "Blitter Object Blocks", which were an alternative term for "sprite".

    The term "sprite" itself appears to be still in use, referring to the individual moving entities on the screen—e.g. the spaceship, bullets and aliens in a 2D side-scroller.

    For the fixed elements of a 2D game, such as the landscape upon which your character jumps around on, we used "tiles" and "tile maps". Levels were built by drawing lots of square, tile elements that were then placed onto the level using a tile map editor, much as if you were building it out of LEGO bricks. You can see this style in almost every 2D 8-bit and 16-bit game: it's how the platforms in "Super Mario Bros." were laid out. Multiple tile maps can be layered to create foreground and background elements.

    Tile maps are really a form of data compression: Instead of one giant bitmap representing the entire level, you chop it up into tiny, repeatable blocks, saving massive amounts of memory. The down-side is that tile maps are usually very easy to spot due to the high repetition of identical blocks. Run Length Encoding compresses the map data even further. This is how games could have vast maps even on the very limited platforms of the day. (Matthew Smith's "Jet Set Willy" and The Bitmap Brothers' "Xenon" and "Speedball" games all used tile maps.)

    Perhaps the least well-known technique from my day was the "attribute map". As with tile maps, these are just arrays of numbers, with each element in the array corresponding to a tile in the tile map. (The "resolution" of attribute maps can vary according to the game's specific requirements, but the mapping was usually 1:1.)

    This array of data—usually one byte per tile in the tile map—defined behaviours, such as how the player interacts with each tile. E.g. a value of 0 might mean that the tile (usually a background image tile, such as a wall) does not obstruct the player's movement, giving the illusion of a background tile map layer. Another attribute might define a tile as one that the player can bash from below. Another value makes a tile lethal to the player; yet another value might be used to define patrol limits for NPCs, and so on. (It was common back then to use bitfields to compress the attribute data, so each byte might store data for multiple sections of code. Computer RAM was very limited back then.)

    Another use for this technique is to bake data for, say, AI cars in a top-down 2D racing game. The AI cars could then just read the attribute data for their current location and obtain a direction in which to aim. AI code therefore doesn't need to consider where the car is going; it only has to check for collisions. Different AI behaviours can then be trivially simulated by simply varying car speeds, steering response times, and so on.

    I'm hesitant to add these to the list as I don't know how commonly used they are today. Nor am I sure how useful they are for a Unity user as tile maps have been effectively replaced by texture atlases. Attribute maps may serve some purpose, however.
     
    Last edited: Apr 20, 2012
  23. JRavey

    JRavey

    Joined:
    May 12, 2009
    Posts:
    2,377
    Well, it's really whether or not clients are trusted. In an authoritative model, the simulation happens on the server and clients provide input to the server and represent the data as they see it; in a non-authoritative model, clients may evaluate simulation events.
     
  24. CharlieSamways

    CharlieSamways

    Joined:
    Feb 1, 2011
    Posts:
    3,424
    Thanks Stimarco updating now. Fixed the 'Terminology' errors and now updating with some of your terminology, not sure how much of it is used personally so I will add what is most relevent :)
    I seem to keep mis-spelling Manner and Terminology which is not good.

    Thanks J, will implement them also.

    -Charlie
     
    Last edited: Apr 20, 2012
  25. CharlieSamways

    CharlieSamways

    Joined:
    Feb 1, 2011
    Posts:
    3,424
    Giving it another shot at life

    -Bump
     
  26. I am da bawss

    I am da bawss

    Joined:
    Jun 2, 2011
    Posts:
    2,574
    Which is "Bring Up My Post"! :D (I didn't know that either!)

    Very helpful thread. I think this would be tremendous help to all forum newbies if Angel or any other mod would kindly just pin this instead of having Charles to bump it all the time.
     
  27. stimarco

    stimarco

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2007
    Posts:
    721
    On re-reading the original FAQ, I do have some worries about whether this is a viable format. It's already very long.

    From a maintenance standpoint, it's a nightmare: it would be better to have a set of smaller, more focused, FAQs. The current one already has some duplicate entries ("anti-aliasing" appears twice, for example. Bizarrely, only the second entry—in the 2D section—actually explains what it does).

    Furthermore, some entries simply don't explain anything:

    Yes, but what is "Ambient Occlusion"? What is it for? Why would someone use it?

    That entry assumes too much prior knowledge on the part of the reader, yet the purpose of this exercise is to provide that knowledge in the first place. (Teaching isn't as easy as most people think. There's very much a science to it.)

    Don't get me wrong: I agree with the idea of educating (new) users, but I don't think this approach will scale well, and it needs multiple 'eyes' to ensure the quality is as good as it can be. It's very difficult to be an expert in all things related to 2D and 3D game design and development. And Unity isn't even limited to making games either.


    One option might be a dedicated "Resources" forum solely for such FAQs and "backgrounder" pieces, but I suspect it would be better—and easier—to use the Unify Wiki instead. Alternatively, a dedicated Moodle-based "Unity University" site may be worthwhile. This could eventually lead to a formal "Unity Certification" path, similar to those run by Microsoft and Cisco. (This could also help by providing a centralised resource for learning materials. Given how popular Unity is in educational establishments, it makes sense to make life even easier for them by providing some standard materials.)

    This allows much shorter "link cloud" FAQs to be created for the forums themselves. Each category would simply list terms and concepts that link directly to relevant Wiki pages. They'd be a lot shorter and a lot less scary to newcomers.

    It's not an easy choice, but there really isn't a single source for the kind of information many newcomers come here expecting to find. There are a lot of individual tutorials and one-shot articles, but very little in the way of connected series that cover all the bases. Game design and development is a complex field. It deserves better.
     
    Last edited: Apr 28, 2012
  28. CharlieSamways

    CharlieSamways

    Joined:
    Feb 1, 2011
    Posts:
    3,424

    Thanks for the comments, Pointing out errors is exactly what I want people to do, So I can go back and maintain and fix, If people have better definitions then they can also tell me and I can change. I was hoping this wouldn't be a one man effort and more of a community collective.

    I understand it is what wiki formats are for, And as far as the definition side of this goes its to try get people to the manual, It gives people a brief idea of what things do then they can go to the manual with the links to read more.

    -Charlie
     
  29. Rush-Rage-Games

    Rush-Rage-Games

    Joined:
    Sep 9, 2010
    Posts:
    1,997
  30. khanstruct

    khanstruct

    Joined:
    Feb 11, 2011
    Posts:
    2,869
    I'd recommend also adding some other game/business model terms.

    Subscription
    F2P
    Freemium
    etc.
     
  31. dxcam1

    dxcam1

    Joined:
    Feb 6, 2012
    Posts:
    477
    Needs a paragraph on idea guys.
     
  32. TylerPerry

    TylerPerry

    Joined:
    May 29, 2011
    Posts:
    5,577
    A sprite refers generaly to the animated entity, you could add sprite sheet wwich is the whole texture that holds the different frames of a sprite.
    (dident check if it was already there)
     
  33. TylerPerry

    TylerPerry

    Joined:
    May 29, 2011
    Posts:
    5,577
    Oh also pixel should be on there,
    A pixel is a square of light formed by subpixels, these are generally red, green and blue.

    (i did not check that definition)
     
  34. khanstruct

    khanstruct

    Joined:
    Feb 11, 2011
    Posts:
    2,869
    I think some of the more general terms should be avoided, as this would be an endless list. Try to keep things as focused as possible. My 2 cents, avoid things like: pixel, poly, face, boolean. I would also remove things like "IMHO", as that really has nothing to do with Unity game development.

    Just my thoughts!
     
  35. KheltonHeadley

    KheltonHeadley

    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2010
    Posts:
    1,685
    Cheers.
     
    Last edited: Jan 27, 2013
  36. AnomalusUndrdog

    AnomalusUndrdog

    Joined:
    Jul 3, 2009
    Posts:
    1,551
    Note: pixel is short for "picture element" the smallest thing a digital display device can show that is like a building block to represent images.


    @Charlie: maybe add "Compute Shaders" as you could now create them in Unity 4. Compute shaders are different from normal shaders in that they can be used not just for graphics-related processing, but any arbitrary code that likely takes advantage of the graphics card's processor.
     
  37. create3dgames

    create3dgames

    Joined:
    Aug 20, 2012
    Posts:
    275
    DOF = depth of field
     
  38. landon912

    landon912

    Joined:
    Nov 8, 2011
    Posts:
    1,579
    You like reviving threads don't you? ;) Nice post Charlie!