Thread: First Time Playing Online Game? Lost in the sea of acronyms and MMO terminology?

I wish I had this when I started in December
Great resource though

Cj = Conjuction another term for FM. CJ was used in CB and many of us still use that term

FM= Fellowship manuver in which the a fellowship may deal lots of damage on a target. May be caused by a player stunning a mob or a burgular that has special abilities in this area.

The OP still updating this? It seems many that were added since the 15 have not been added to the first post.

Yes, I'll be updating it again this weekend, new job keeps me from posting like I used to. In the meantime keep adding stuff guys. I'm trying to keep the chat stuff separate though as googling "chat terms" usually brings up most. I probably should put a section for chat terms for the MMO's though.

body pulls?
sounds like a prox pull
using proximity to mob to initiate aggro.

In other games, prox pulling has some benefits as the social assist may be prevented with some tricks.

I'm new to this as well and am wondering if there is a resource that explains all the weapon attributes. For instance, what does a speed of 2.3 mean? Is higher better? 2.3 feet per sec - 2.3 seconds between blows? What about 3.8 damage per second? I though a weapon strike was an instantaneous occurrence.

Proc (I'm not even sure if LotRO has weapons that proc - I'm still new to the game). No one's REALLY sure the acronym stands for exactly, but it's a common mmo word that is generally accepted to be short for 'Procedure' although some believe that it stands for either 'Process', 'Programmed Random Occurance, or possibly Potential Rate Of Cast (this one is my favorite). It can also be thought of as an abbreviation of 'Proclivity', meaning a tendency or inclination.

Whatever the case may be, this abbreviation refers to when a weapon or item activates with a "Chance on Use" effect (an ability or a spell).

So if you have a magic sword that has a chance to cast an extra 25 fire damage while fighting, every once in a while the sword would randomly "proc" an extra 25 damage.

Originally Posted by JesterFred

I'm new to this as well and am wondering if there is a resource that explains all the weapon attributes. For instance, what does a speed of 2.3 mean? Is higher better? 2.3 feet per sec - 2.3 seconds between blows? What about 3.8 damage per second? I though a weapon strike was an instantaneous occurrence.

Yes speed means how fast you swing the weapon. Generally 2 handed weapons have a slower swing speed, but hit for a higher max damage.

Damage Per Second (DPS) is just that, how much damage you typically can do with a weapon per second. It's just a formula using the Speed and Damage Range of the weapon.

As to what's better. Well, I'm still too new to LotRO to help you that. I know certain items were better for certain classes in WoW (ie Rogues wanted top end damage for their main hand, and fast weapons for their offhand). So the case may be similar for certain classes here too. Right now I just worry about DPS until I learn more.

Hope that helps!!

DPS is used generically to refer to classes which do lots of damage in a fairly short timespan. In LOTRO, Hunters and Champions are considered the main DPS classes, although Burglars can also do pretty respectable damage.

DPS as used in a weapon's tooltip refers to the average amount of damage the weapon will do per second. It's calculated by taking the average of the listed minimum and maximum damages and dividing that by the speed. So a weapon listed as having a min-max of 15-20 damage would do an average damage of (15+20)/2 = 17.5. If it has a speed of 1.7, the DPs would be listed as 17.5 / 1.7 = 10.3 (the game rounds the DPS to one decimal place).

For a much more complete discussion on weapons, refer to http://forums.lotro.com/showthread.php?t=58815

Here's one: What does "MT" mean? From context, I get that it means that the player has typed into the wrong chat channel (OOC when they wanted to do it in "Say" or their Fellowship channel), and they want to indicate that they realize they goofed. And I assume this is done so as to head off any discussion from other confused players ("Why did you say that? What does it mean?")

But what does "MT" itself stand for?

MT = Mis-Typed

good list. I didn't see INC in it though.

It happens from time to time when you run with a fellowship or whatnot. Not everyone may be at the same level or running in a single line. Sometimes someone gets within the aggro range of some mobs and they start chasing.

Using the word Inc or INC notifies the fellowship that a mob is approaching and that action should be taken to sort it out. For example. If the fellowship have one tank who runs in the front and are belinging for a mob. The "inc" will tell them that they should stop, turn around and handle the incoming mob, before going for their intended target.

Originally Posted by threelefts

Proc (I'm not even sure if LotRO has weapons that proc - I'm still new to the game). No one's REALLY sure the acronym stands for exactly, but it's a common mmo word that is generally accepted to be short for 'Procedure' although some believe that it stands for either 'Process', 'Programmed Random Occurance, or possibly Potential Rate Of Cast (this one is my favorite). It can also be thought of as an abbreviation of 'Proclivity', meaning a tendency or inclination.

Whatever the case may be, this abbreviation refers to when a weapon or item activates with a "Chance on Use" effect (an ability or a spell).

So if you have a magic sword that has a chance to cast an extra 25 fire damage while fighting, every once in a while the sword would randomly "proc" an extra 25 damage.

I have always heard it came from "Process." That is, the item would randomly execute a process (e.g., subroutine) to "proc" a specific effect. Although, I like the "proclivity" tie-in.

Originally Posted by Avarune

MT = Mis-Typed

Actually, I think you will find that MT means "Mis-Tell." It is a short cut way of telling the person you just sent a tell to that the message was meant to for someone else. Thus, it is used generically of any message sent to the wrong person/channel, but the word is derived from "Mis-Tell."

Originally Posted by Veniir

good list. I didn't see INC in it though.

It happens from time to time when you run with a fellowship or whatnot. Not everyone may be at the same level or running in a single line. Sometimes someone gets within the aggro range of some mobs and they start chasing.

Using the word Inc or INC notifies the fellowship that a mob is approaching and that action should be taken to sort it out. For example. If the fellowship have one tank who runs in the front and are belinging for a mob. The "inc" will tell them that they should stop, turn around and handle the incoming mob, before going for their intended target.

The analysis is correct, but you did not mention that it is short for "Incoming."

Originally Posted by Adder

A Buff is anything that enhances your character's abilities (mobs can and do have buffs too). These are usually short term, but may also be long term such as the Hunter's Stance that continues until stopped by you or you are incapacitated or log out. (As a side note - although it isn't generally used in this way, technically any piece of armour, jewelry, or weapon that has a stat or ability increasing characteristic is a Buff!)

A De-Buff is anything that removes Buffs currently on a character or mob. Mobs can de-buff you and you can de-buff mobs. A de-buff on a mob is not necessarily one that will reduce his ability to harm you, it may also increase your ability to harm him such as an armour de-buff (again, this works both ways).

While the basic ideas are correct, I cannot agree with some of the details.

That is, in strict sense of the word, a buff is a state put on a character or Mob/NPC that increases stats or abilities. The effect can be long-term and in-effect until manually toggled off. Or the effect can be short-term and in-effect for a given time period. For example, the Lore Master skill "Ancient Wisom" buffs the Lore Master's Wisdom stat by a specific amount for 30 minutes. This would be a short-term buff. After 30 minutes, it has to be recast to keep the buff going. The Champion skill "Fervor" is a state that generates extra fervor points for him during combat. This state is long-term and lasts until toggled off.

In the generic sense, the term can be used of anything that increases a character's abilities, as in "That armor set buffs my Might by 45 points," meaning that it gives him 45 extra points of Might over and above what he has naturally or through other increases without the armor. However, technically, this is not what is meant by a "buff" since a state is, for instance, removed upon death. Both Wisdom and Fervor have to be recast upon death. The stat increases from armor do not go away on death. The one exception is that some armor/items do have castable effect which will add a short term buff, but the stat increases of the armor itself is not technically a buff.

A debuff is simply the opposite of a buff. In some games, there are specific skills/spells which can remove a buff state from a character or mob/NPC. However, while these do "debuff" the character, the technical term for such a skill is a "dispell" as it removes or "dispells" the effect. So while this is technically a type of debuff, it is more accurate to define a debuff as a state placed on a character or mob/NPC which reduces its stats or abilities. The dred you get after being demoralized is a debuff. Wounds and poisons are debuffs. These all place a state on you in which your stats are reduced for a given time.

Like most things, the terms are used in a wider sense, but technically a buff or debuff is a state that either increases or decreases (respectively) a character or mob/NPC's stats or abilities.

Elites: Big baddies that u dont wanna mess with = correct. Always purple = incorrect. lol.
the term 'elite' is used ingame alot for 'higher-than-normal' lvel of a mob. For a full list, there's:
- swarm
- normal
- signature
- elite
- master-elite
- nemesis
- arch-nemesis.
the term "elite" altho sometimes correctly used to refer to the level "Elite" in the list above, can sometimes used for even higher level ones (ME, Nemesis, etc). Even signatures (lower than elite) can be designated as the term 'elite'...
As for purple, no, colours are the level of the monsters that corresponds to ur own level. purple means 'dont touch' lol, or a mob 9level higher than u. others are red, orange, yellow, white, blue, light-blue, green, grey. go figure.

Proc: forgot what it stands for, but the are the extra passive stats on an item that might get activated, or processed, as you use that items. examples are weapons with "demoralizes: take ur enemy's morale every now n then", means when it actually DOES absord some morale, that means it just "proc'd". In lotro, not only weapons, theres Armours that can 'proc' as well. certain earrings, for example, has +300 power - 30 cooldown. meaning, there's a chance that it will give u the 300 power, but when it does, it needs 30min to have a chance to happen again. same with blunt weapons' ability to stun, reduce enemy's armour, or after book10, make them harder to evade or slowed them down etc...

MT = Main Tank - the main meat shield in ur group. u want the enemies to focus on this guy altho there might be another "tank" class in the group.
mt = misstell - u send a tell to somebody u didnt intend to.

DPS = pure calculated figure to help u quickly glanze the power of a weapon, although what really matters for most classes are the min-max damages, speed, and damage type. Plus the skills that are going to use that weapon. Those are what really determine the damage ur dealing. The formula used is get the (somewhat odd) average min/max damage divided by speed. 70~90damage 3.0 speed = 80average/3 = ~27DPS.

Weapon Speed: the count in Seconds the weapon has a cooldown before it can be used again. add the skills cooldown, and the global cooldown to the formula and u get 1 heck of a headache

Weapon Range: the range in in-game-meters how far it will hit. how far is a meter? not sure. go ask a dwarf or a hobbit.

yes, FM = Fellowship Moves.

In PvMP: Keeps = castle/ area where a freep/creep can control.

Area abbriviation: (some r pretty obvious, but heck, might as well)
EM = Ettenmoors
CD = Carn-dum
URG/Urug = Urugarth
BG = Barad Gularan
GB = Great Barrows
LL = Lone Lands
ND = NorthDowns
TS = Trollshaws
MM = Misty Mountains
Gab (this is hard) = Gabilazan is in Angmar, Gabilshatur is in MM. or i can even mix the 2... hmm.... the one in Angmar is good dwarf-camp. The one in MM is enemy dwarf camp.
MD = Mikael Delving

Ettenmoors Abbrv. (since its fast-paced high level area, alot of the keeps/castle are shortned.)
- LUG: the Lugazan/NW camp
- TR: Tirith Rhaw
- TA: T**.... i forgot...
- LC: Lumber Camp/SW camp
- HH: Hoardale/SW refuge
- Isendeep.






hmmm....... what else did i miss?

MOB stands for Mobile Object. technically NPCs are MOBs. or at least this is what i always thought.

Originally Posted by Avarune

MT = Mis-Typed

hmmmm i thought it was Miss Tell - as in you've sent a Tell to someone you didn't intend to, and later it just translated to sending a message anywhere that it wasn't meant for.

Originally Posted by postalblowfish7

MOB stands for Mobile Object. technically NPCs are MOBs. or at least this is what i always thought.



hmmmm i thought it was Miss Tell - as in you've sent a Tell to someone you didn't intend to, and later it just translated to sending a message anywhere that it wasn't meant for.

Mob is from "mobile object." Techhically, it could refer to any computer controlled character/creature in the game. However, "mob" is almost exclusively used of creatures and critters you kill. NPC is sometimes used generically when referring to mobs, but it is most often used when referring to computer controlled characters you interact with or that are there for ambiance. This is a useful distinction in that mobs are usually things you attack and NPCs are usually quest givers or other non-attackable characters in the game.

Originally Posted by Someday

While "ur" is frequently used, it's not an acronym, but (usually) either carelessness or just plain laziness.

While I would agree that "ur" is not an acronym but an abbreviation, I think it's a misunderstanding to call it carelessness or laziness. It's a member of the chat vocabulary that is not limited to mmo's (massive multiplayer online games) and has nothing to do with carelessness or laziness and everything to do w/ efficiency and efficacy.

Whereas abbreviations such as "w/" or "&" have their origins before chat, many ppl (people) use common new abbreviations to speed up their typing or texting, and similarly allow the pacing of chat to more resemble that of free speech. In practice, there is essentially no difference between typing "brb" (be right back) or "afk" (away from keyboard), which are acronyms, and typing "ur" or "cya" which are abbreviations. Both reduce keystrokes, have the same concept in their etymology, and produce the same desired effect. The ampersand only reduces 2 characters yet has been commonly used for centuries. Clearly there is nothing that makes an abbreviation "lazier" than an acronym... imho (in my humble opinion).

I see "LFM" a lot in the LFF channel, what does that mean?

Originally Posted by Doppelbock

I see "LFM" a lot in the LFF channel, what does that mean?

Looking for More - they already have part of the 6 members in the fellowship and are looking for more.

What does PVE mean?
Player Versus <?what?>

Originally Posted by simpatico

What does PVE mean?
Player Versus <?what?>

Player vs. Environment. Mobs/NPCs are part of the computer contolled environment your character moves around in; thus, PvE refers to playing against the computer while PvP (Player vs. Player) or, in this game, PvMP (Player vs. Monster Player) refers to fighting (playing against) other players.

Originally Posted by somewhiteguy951

Nuker and DPS are similar in meaning and can be used interchangably. AoE is Area of Effect of a skill. You have the basics down pretty well, the stuff gets harder to understand if you run into younger gamers.

Young gamers have more experience with IM chat and thus shorthand more. Though us old guys who play a lot of MMOs are catching up.

Could not agree more as a more Ahem older player i scratch my head sometimes while looking at the screen, but like somewhiteguy said im catching up

What's "Mezz" mean??

Mezz comes from the word "mesmerize". It means to stun, freeze, sleep, render unconscious or otherwise delay an enemy to keep it from attacking, moving, or performing any other actions. This is different than the concept of a "root", which simply keeps the enemy from moving. A rooted enemy can still attack, cast spells, etc.

Hope this helps.

I've been around MMO's for a while, but there's one word that keeps popping up that I don't quite get. What is shotty? I've seen it in various posts and based on usage I can infer that it means something negative, like poor. Is it something that's been shot full of holes? 8|

Originally Posted by Ealdfryth

I've been around MMO's for a while, but there's one word that keeps popping up that I don't quite get. What is shotty? I've seen it in various posts and based on usage I can infer that it means something negative, like poor. Is it something that's been shot full of holes? 8|

Could it be that they mean shoddy? That means something is of inferior construction. Maybe these kids just don't know how to spell : )

Oh, yeah. You're probably right. Doh! Thanks.

Bio -- Need for quick bathroom break

AFK -- Away From Keyboard

OTW -- "on the way" Usually in response to meeting/helping/joining someone
OMW -- "on my way" See OTW above
BRT -- "be right there" See OTW above

INC -- Incoming hostile monster or player (in PvP)

Add -- Generally an unwanted monster that jumps in your current fight

Pop -- Generally a monster spwaned in this area of the party and others may need quick notification if they dont see

LoS -- "line of sight" Breaking los will sometimes cause monsters to stop range attack and move towards players

FTW "for the win" Expression of postive aspect/item i.e. Ranged Combat FTW -- Bracer of Hammerfist FTW

Ag (agro) -- short cut for letting party members know you have agro. Most often used my healers etc since they should not be getting hit.

Originally Posted by Thorondor

Mezz comes from the word "mesmerize". It means to stun, freeze, sleep, render unconscious or otherwise delay an enemy to keep it from attacking, moving, or performing any other actions. This is different than the concept of a "root", which simply keeps the enemy from moving. A rooted enemy can still attack, cast spells, etc.

Hope this helps.

The above information is basically correct, but just to be clear, there is almost always a difference between a Stun and a Mez.

In most games, CC (crowd control) has three major categories:

Mez - Completely shuts down the target (can't move, can't attack), long duration, breaks instantly on damage (some games prevent indirect AoE damage from affecting the target while mezzed).

Stun - Completely shuts down the target (can't move, can't attack), shorter duration, will not break on damage.

Root - Prevents the target from moving (but not from turning in place), medium to long duration, has a chance to break on damage. The rooted target can attack back as long as its target is within its attack range from where it is rooted. How easily a root can break on damage varies by game and root skill.

I took a quick look through this thread but didn't find an explanation as to what QFE and QFT mean. I see people use them all the time in the forums.

I've got my suspicions... but maybe someone could let me know?

I'm pretty sure QFT means Quite Frickin' True.

Or, not quite exactly that, but you get the idea.

QFE has me lost.

QFE is "Quoted for Emphasis". Shorthand for, "I totally agree, dude, couldn't have said it better myself." You see it on forums like this, often with simply a quote from another poster and the phrase "QFE".

As a new member, this post and thread has been very helpful.

See you all on the inside!

Originally Posted by Womdon

I took a quick look through this thread but didn't find an explanation as to what QFE and QFT mean. I see people use them all the time in the forums.

I've got my suspicions... but maybe someone could let me know?

QFE= Quoted For Emphasis
QFT= Quoted For Truth

Yeah, those threw me for a loop when I first saw them cropping up. Thought someone was cussing me out in a new way. :P

OK, this one is what I've seen a few times in the forums. What is "PWN" ? And all its variants? I've seen it turned into a verb and adjective.

Thanks for this list!

Originally Posted by Pearlie

OK, this one is what I've seen a few times in the forums. What is "PWN" ? And all its variants? I've seen it turned into a verb and adjective.

Thanks for this list!

PWN started out life as "OWN" as in "I own you" or "I owned you" meaning that I obtained a clear victory over you. It became PWN due to the fact that P is very close to O on the keyboard. It just caught on from there. It's pronounced pown (rhymes with grown).

At least that's my understanding of what it is and where it came from.

Thanks, John Q.

Pearlie

To clarify an earlier post:
AoE is an effect that targets a mob, and affects the area around the mob. An example would be the LM's earth spell--it damages the mob targeted, and all the mobs within a certain radius of it.

PBAoE, or a point blank (i've also heard player based) aoe targets the area around the caster, rather than the area around the targeted mob. These are more uncommon in LoTRO than other MMOs, but examples include the LMs undead stun spell, and many of the champions AoE effects. (Indeed, for the champ, all of his AoEs are of the PB type, so for him the difference is negligible, but for the hunter all are AoE, while the LM has general AoE as well as PBAoE specific skills)
Essentially, PBAoE is a subset of AoE where the area is centered on the caster rather than another target.

If this has been posted, im sorry, I did not want to read 6 pages of posts....

but a little history on the word MOB, actually dates back to the early RPG games of the 80's that were text based, and is actually short for MOBILE, it was a word used in programmin to catagorize anything in a game that moved or was "mobile" to seperate from all objects that are NOT mobile like tables and such. Anyways, over time it became to be said to anyhting that moves, typically enimies, is called a MOB, or MOBILE.

Tom