Comments on: It’s 2008, Do You Know Where Your Phrases Are?

By: Sente

Sente — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 15:58:27 +0000

Using the word “server” to describe a game world instance is something I try to avoid simply because I do not want to re-use a word that has different meaning which would still make sense in this context.

So I tend to use a mix of realm, world, sometimes shard or game world instance. Server do slip in from time to time, but I try to avoid it.

Similarly I use a mix of group/team/party and for some specific games change it to squad or fellowship or whatever may be used there. I prefer team, since I think that is slightly better than the other for representing the entity we usually refer to here.

And then there is the quest. I typically only use quest in the context of fantasy games and in others talk about mission. And for Guild Wars I get to use both, since they have different meaning…

By: JoBildo

JoBildo — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 17:45:12 +0000

I lol’d.

Very nice.

By: Scott

Scott — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 21:19:21 +0000

Glad ya got the audio back on both channels, I just hope #18 got the volume back to normal. I normally listen to podcasts while I’m doing my daily walks but #17 was so quiet I had the volume maxed and it was barely above a whisper.

By the way, I’m not pickin’ on ya, mate! Seriously! But not… Yahoo Seriously…
*runs from Bildo*

By: Van Hemlock

Van Hemlock — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 21:09:24 +0000

I use it cos I’m lazy, impressionable and have a cohost/producer who tends to edit while watching Grand Prixs, so it helps to try and get it all on one take, or end up with it all on the Left Channel only again. Grumble!

By: Scott

Scott — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 18:37:09 +0000

The argument of using shard or realm rather than server to mean a server cluster fails my logic. Shard and realm are both refer to singular entities whereas cluster refers to many. While the word “server” itself is also singular, I don’t see it as too much of a stretch for the 21st century lazy human to shorten “server cluster” into simply “server.”

As for TCoS, I haven’t been keeping up (at all) with that, but my impression last year was that the world itself had been destroyed and was comprised of multiple chunks or “shards” floating around, rather than having continents or zones like we’d see in any other game. So in that respect, a single world is many shards of rock, rather than using the phrase “shard” to mean server. I could be way off-base, and in fact calling the servers “shards” could even fit TCoS’ lore as well.

By: Thallian

Thallian — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 18:30:18 +0000

I’ve seen it in a number of places. Maybe final Fantasy Online. Certainly Chronicles of Spellborn.

By: Pete S

Pete S — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 18:00:51 +0000

The reason some people (not me) avoid the term “server” is that in most cases, a Shard/Realm/Whatever is technically a cluster of physical servers.

By: wilhelm2451

wilhelm2451 — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 17:04:53 +0000

You damn kids, get off my phraseology!

Shard was the first generally accepted term. Old folks use it, just the way we use the word “group” even if the game we’re playing has substituted in the word “party” or “fellowship.”