MMO Keywords

This is a list of keywords. Make of it what you want. This is a living document at the moment.

Core Gameplay
-> Targeting style (WoW vs. CS)
-> Movement (e.g. strafing, speed, sneaking, running, stamina, ..)
-> Camera perspective (first person, over-the-shoulder, overview, ..)
-> Icons, hotkeys
-> User actions per minute (min, max, average, distribution)
-> Global cooldown
-> Resource mechanics (mana, rage, cooldowns, energy, runes, ..)
-> Group buffs (purpose, magnitude)
->

Developer data collection
-> Number of players
-> Players active at prime time
-> Average player lifetime (death by NPC/PC)
-> Players per region
-> .. this list is literally endless
-> The more you know the better!
-> Careful with statistics, they are tricky!
->

Graphics sytle
-> Cartoon
-> Realistic
->

System requirements
-> High end
-> Typical desktop
-> Laptopable
-> Mobile phone
->

Sound
-> Background music
-> Sound effects
-> Voice output
->

General Polish
-> Frame rate
-> Response time
-> Internet lags, extrapolation
-> Server lags
-> Client-side movement
-> Compatibility with different computer systems
-> Becoming stuck, falling through terrain
-> Clipping errors
-> Database errors (backup systems)
->

GUI
-> Clearly arranged
-> Information per pixel
-> Freely moveable/sizable/fixed windows
-> Full screen display (instead of windows)
-> User addons
-> Looks, feeling
-> Clicks/keystrokes per activity
-> Focus on standard activities (e.g. buy item, retrieve item, store item)
-> Transparency
-> Font (e.g. readability)
-> Scaling with different resolutions
->

Features
-> Mail system
-> Castles
-> Player housing
-> Guild halls
-> Player controlled construction
-> Land estate
-> Farming
-> Classic raids
-> Classic dungeons
-> Classic questing
-> Daily quests
-> World bosses
-> Sandbox opportunities
-> Grouping
-> Chat
-> Restricted Communication
-> Unpredictability
-> Developer-made stories
-> Player-made stories
-> Grinding
-> Achievements
-> Background lore
-> Mounts
-> Vehicle combat
-> Naval combat
-> Space combat
-> Prestige items, titles
-> Instances
-> Movie-like cut scenes
-> Classic talent trees
-> User-written macros
-> Destructible environment
-> Chain of Command
-> War
-> Guerrilla warfare
-> Diplomacy
-> Tracking
-> Smelling
-> Sneaking
-> Scouting
-> Swimming
-> Under-water combat
-> Item weight, inventory size
-> Mob AI
-> Threat
-> Collision control
-> Holy trinity: Tank, healer, dd
-> Narrow dungeons, huge dungeons
-> Infinite dungeons
-> Internet sources (e.g. bosskillers.com)
-> NPC interaction (e.g. dialogue)
-> Dangerous travel
-> Reputation
-> Pets/Companions
-> Locks
-> Traps
->
->

Economy (major feature)
-> Trade
-> Travel and transport
-> Free markets
-> Arbitrage
-> Cash flow inside the game
-> Cash flow into the game / out of the game (inflation/deflation)
-> Property flow into the game / out of the game (inflation/deflation)
-> Different currencies in the game, currency exchange
-> Player owned shops
-> Companies
-> Crafting
-> Financial services
-> Player-run financial services (bank account, shares, debt, ..)
-> Resource extraction (small/large scale)
-> Auctions
-> Decay of 'stuff'
-> "Soulbound"
->

Explicit PvP (major feature)
-> Open world explicit PvP
-> RvR
-> Number of factions
-> Player-created factions
-> Borders
-> Border patrols
-> Battlegrounds
-> Arenas
-> NPCs role
-> Location of players (who may not want to be found)
-> Bounties
->

Making Dollars
-> Flat fee
-> Time dependent
-> Microtransactions
-> Macrotransactions
-> Free
-> Expensive, but high quality
-> Cheap, and still nice
-> In-game trade of subscriptions (EVE)
-> Stance on commercial gold farming and botting
-> Stance on "gold-selling" by third parties
->

Community
-> Socializing incentives
-> Guilds
-> Alliances
-> Server identity
-> Faction identity
-> Anonymity
-> Posing
-> Social network features (friend list, ignore list, see facebook)
-> Access from outside the game (e.g. armory)
-> Family Names
->

Immersion
-> Credibility
-> Consistency
-> Story for grown ups
-> Elite versions of mobs vs. different mobs?
-> Commercial spam (gold sellers)
->

Accessibility
-> Convenience
-> Instant fun
-> Teleports
-> Forced breaks (regging, automated travel, ..)
-> Time scale of activities
->

Character progression
-> Collecting stuff
-> Addiction
-> Gaining abilities
-> Time scale
-> Dependence on time investment (e.g. EVE)
-> Speed of progression
-> Average character modification rate (e.g. gaining a new item)
-> Skill-based
-> Level-based
-> Inter-player balance
-> Interaction of players who are at different states of progression
->

Content
-> The amount of what a player can do; player-dependent
-> Player generated content
-> Replayability
-> Procedural content generation
-> Size of the world
->

Challenge
-> Death penalty
-> Repeated wiping
-> Strategy
-> Tactics
-> Twitch skills
-> Easy to learn, hard to master
-> Casual vs. hardcore
-> Excel sheets
-> Retrieving data
-> Testing hypotheses
-> Mathematical models
-> Numerical optimization
-> Open/Closed policy concerning game mechanics
->

Player Mentality
-> Aggressive PvP
-> Immersive PvP
-> No PvP
-> Instant fun
-> Time investment
-> Just raidin'
-> Pre-release hype
-> Inter-player rivalry
-> Distraction after work
-> Role playing (in any form)
-> "I want big bosses"
-> Solo play
-> Playing with real life friends
-> Getting to know other players
-> "I am the hero" (Frodo)
-> "I am part of something bigger" (Sam)
-> "I am a stranger who muddles through" (early Aragorn)
-> Player attitude / exspectations at joining the game.
-> Advertisement
->

Setting
-> High fantasy
-> Low fantasy
-> Totally fictional
-> Sci-fi
-> Current western world
-> Middle-ages
-> Wild west
-> Samurai
-> Holy Crusade
-> Colonization
-> Third world
-> Developing world
-> Old Rome
-> Old Greece
-> Third Reich
-> Cold War
-> Vikings
-> Ruthless capitalism
-> Ruthless oppressor(s)
-> Magic/Technology dualism
-> Religion/Gods/Corporations
-> Eternal war (devils, demons, Warhammer-like, ..)
-> Dark
-> Melancholic
-> Light
-> Cute
-> Bloody
-> Aggressive
-> Subliminal horror
->

Remaining Memories
-> Memorable characters
-> Memorable items
-> Memorable stories
-> Memorable events
-> Potential to cause nostalgia
->