Glossary of Terms

A way for two or more computer programs or components to communicate with each other. It is a type of software interface, offering a service to other pieces of software. A document or standard that describes how to build or use such a connection or interface is called an 'API specification'. (Wikipedia)

In gaming, a battle (game battle, or battle session) is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing teams of players of any number or size.
In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force commitment. A war usually consists of multiple battles. An engagement with only limited commitment between the forces and without decisive results is sometimes called a skirmish. (Wikipedia)

In gaming, a battle map, or battlefield, is a background layout of the battle system themed to the location of the battle. (Wikipedia)

Battle rhythm refers to the smooth operation of a team through a schedule of command, staff, and unit activities to maximize efficiency and synchronicity. (Military REACH)

A weapon unit, which passed at least one battle.

A bot, short for robot, in a video game is a non-playing character (NPC) controlled by a software application with the intent to imitate human activity. In a client–server model, a game bot plays the client role and imitates a player accessing the game server. Game bots are able to perform simple and repetitive tasks much faster than a person could ever do, and because of that they are treated as a form of cheating, which breaks the principles of fair play.

1) An effect placed on a video game character that beneficially increases one or more of their statistics or characteristics for a temporary period. Contrast with Debuff.
2) A change intended to strengthen a particular item, tactic, ability, or character, ostensibly for balancing purposes. Similar to Upping. Related to Balance. (Glossary of video game terms)

DGA's in-game currency.

A client/server gaming architecture refers to a typical distributed architecture for the support of networked games. In this architecture, a single node plays the role of the server, i.e., it maintains the game state and communicates with all other nodes (the clients). The server notifies game moves generated by players and computes the game state updates. (ECGG, p. 319)

Software that grants its creator, publisher, or other rightsholder or rightsholder partner a legal monopoly by modern copyright and intellectual property law to exclude the recipient from freely sharing the software or modifying it, and – in some cases, as is the case with some patent-encumbered and EULA-bound software (End-User Licence Agreement or EULA) – from making use of the software on their own, thereby restricting their freedoms. Proprietary software is a subset of non-free software, a term defined in contrast to Free/Libre and Open-Source Software; non-commercial licences such as CC BY-NC are not deemed proprietary, but are non-free. Proprietary software may either be closed-source software or source-available software. (Wikipedia)

The readiness of a military unit to engage in combat based on behavioral, operational, and leadership considerations. Combat effectiveness measures the ability of a military force to accomplish its objective and is one component of overall military effectiveness.
The effectiveness of a military unit in performing its mission depends on its capabilities (including equipment and personnel) and its ability to use those capabilities. Soldiers must be instructed in the use of their weapons as well as in the battlefield tactics needed to fight as a coordinated team. They also must be trained to follow orders and to make difficult decisions under intense pressure. Indoctrination and leadership play key roles, as a soldier must know his or her role and be willing to perform it. Officers must be able to bring out the best in their troops and know how to motivate them to become an effective fighting force. Thus, simply having a large or well-equipped force does not guarantee success on the battlefield. Military planning — identifying the adversary and developing a strategy that combines the most appropriate weapons, unit types, and combat plan to implement against that particular adversary — also plays an important role in combat effectiveness, as well as in military effectiveness more broadly. (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

A body or a group of people who work at a common activity, generally in a structured or hierarchical organization. A location in which a crew works is called a crewyard or workyard. Members of a crew are often referred to by the title crewman or crew-member. (Wikipedia)

Any weapon system that is issued to a crew of two or more individuals performing the same or separate tasks to run at maximum operational efficiency, as opposed to an individual-service weapon, which only requires one person to run at maximum operational efficiency. (Wikipedia)

An approach when software products and capabilities have been designed and developed to provide users with a consistent and intuitive interaction across various digital mediums and platforms. The approach encompasses visual consistency, functionality, performance, and accessibility through cross-platform applications on smartphones, tablets, and desktops with the goal to offer an uninterrupted and harmonious user journey. (Medium)

1) An effect placed on a character that negatively impacts their statistics and characteristics. Similar to Nerfing. Related to Balance.
2) Effects that nullify or cancel the effects of buffs. Contrast with Buff. (Glossary of video game terms)

The game this document is written for; DGA stands for 'Distant Ground Attack'.

A unit of measurement used in role-playing games to quantify a player character’s life experience and progression through the game. Experience points are generally awarded for the completion of objectives, overcoming obstacles and opponents, and successful role-playing. (Wikipedia)

In gaming, performing repetitive actions to gain experience, points, or some other form of in-game currency. (ECGG, p. 744)

A behaviour that is fair, honest, and does not take advantage of people. (The Cambridge Dictionary)

A conceptual model, which is introduced by The FLEISS Software Foundation into the field of video games and their implementation. The model supposes that a game must not only propose to players fair rules, equal opportunities, and just rewards for their participation in the game, but provide them with technical means to accomplish independent verification whether the game still abides by the principles of fairness, equality, justice, honesty, and integrity to its players. In other words, the fair-to-play model stipulates for a simple principle to be accomplished: a fair-to-play game must ensure that the best and most skilful player wins, all other causes are neglected.

First-person, also spelled first person, is any graphical perspective rendered from the viewpoint of the player character, or from the inside of a device or vehicle controlled by the player character. (Wikipedia)

A business model in which players have access to a significant portion of a game’s content without being obliged to pay. In this case, the presence of in-game stores is a key part of the business model. (ECGG, p. 320)

A business model, which is a variation of Free-To-Play Model, but it supposes that all players of a game – as those who willing to pay, and those who playing for free – they all have equal opportunities within the game and a player can gain an advantage over other players only by his/her proper efficiency and skills. The player can also spend money on in-game items and microtransactions, but they only allow him/her to play more comfortably: complete the game faster, gain more experience, get more game currency for the same actions, change appearance, etc. The business model was first popularised by the company Wargaming in its game World of Tanks in 2013. (Wikipedia)
In fact, this model can’t fulfill its promises because of the lack of transparency: players have no means to verify neither other players don’t have unfair advantages over them nor the game server gives preferences to some categories of players. Nowadays, World of Tanks is considered as a freemium game. (ECGG, p. 2097)

Software that is available under a licence that grants the right to use, modify, and distribute the software, modified or not, to everyone free of charge. The public availability of the source code is, therefore, a necessary but not sufficient condition. F/LOSS is an inclusive umbrella term for free/libre software and open-source software. F/LOSS is the opposite of Closed-Source Proprietary Software, which is licensed under restrictive copyright and has the source code hidden from its users. (Wikipedia)

A software licence is a legal instrument governing the use or redistribution of software. (Wikipedia)
A free-software licence is a notice that grants the recipient of a piece of software extensive rights to modify and redistribute that software. These actions are usually prohibited by copyright law, but the rights-holder (usually the author) of a piece of software can remove these restrictions by accompanying the software with a software licence which grants the recipient these rights. Software using such a licence is free software (or free and open-source software) as conferred by the copyright holder. Free-software licences are applied to software in source code and also binary object-code form, as the copyright law recognises both forms. (Wikipedia)
Open-source licences are software licences that allow content to be used, modified, and shared. They facilitate free/libre and open-source software development. Intellectual property laws restrict the modification and sharing of creative works. Free/libre and open-source licences use these existing legal structures for an inverse purpose. They grant the recipient the rights to use the software, examine the source code, modify it, and distribute the modifications. (Wikipedia)

A business and development model, which is introduced by The FLEISS Software Foundation as an implementation of Fair-To-Play Model. The model supposes that a game must propose a fair contract to all sides engaged into the game’s development and interaction around and within the game. The contract must not only define fair rules, equal opportunities, and just rewards, but also provide the ability to control how well the contract is fulfilled. The model affirms that this ability can only be provided by usage of free/libre/open-source software for the game’s implementation. Moreover, only free/libre/open-source software tools shall be used during the game’s development and probably distribution. Finally, the game must be published as a free/libre/open-source software under appropriate free/libre/open-source licences. Therefore, the source codes of all the game’s components must be published and accessible to all engaged sides, especially to players who can verify whether the game is still a fair play. The players must have opportunity to rebuild the game from its source code and at least to access the game’s server infrastructure to verify the game’s fairness, equality, justice, honesty, and integrity.

The advanced version of Free/Libre-To-Play Model introduced by The FLEISS Software Foundation as a further implementation of the Fair-To-Play Model. The free/libre-to-game model is especially adapted for multitier game systems and it requires that not only a game's client but all the game’s server components must be free/libre/open-source software. The players must have opportunity to rebuild the game’s client and servers from their source codes and reproduce the game’s infrastructure to verify its fairness, equality, justice, honesty, and integrity. The free/libre-to-game model serves as the basis for development and distribution of the DGA Game.

Freemium is a portmanteau of the words 'free' and 'premium', thereby, a freemium game is a free-to-play game for which fees are charged for additional features and services. (ECGG, p. 2097)

A systemic experience that takes place in its own context, separated from the rest of life (the game’s magic circle). Every game is characterised by the following attributes:

A property of the overall game+player system, so it incorporates the player’s mental model and the game’s model, involving psychology, the game’s systems, and mathematical and other tools needed to evaluate them. It includes aspects of the game’s progression for each player and the game’s progression as a whole: whether the player advances too quickly and easily or too slowly with too many impediments and whether all players progress at about the same rate without feeling as if they are in lockstep with each other. A game that is balanced avoids having one narrow dominant winning path or strategy or creating situations where one player has an inherent or insurmountable advantage. (AGDS, p. 296)

Any behaviour that a player uses to gain an advantage over his/her peer players or achieve a target in an on-line game is cheating if, according to the game rules or at the discretion of the game operator, the advantage or the target is one that he/she is not supposed to have achieved. (ECGG, p. 742) However, this definition of cheating doesn’t imply situations when the game cheats its players, i.e. the situations when the game owners pursuing their financial interests intentionally break the declared rules of their own game, or they manipulate the game’s undeclared rules and conditions with the purpose to give hidden preferences to some categories of players. Moreover, ensuring equality and fairness in games is usually treated as issues of game balance and not, a priori, as a result of the game owners' intentions. The FLEISS Software Foundation considers this interpretation of cheating as one-sided and unfair.

A group of people that is centered on interaction through and united in activities around a game.
A community is a group of people united by a common identity and collective purpose who engage in activities together over time. Communities develop unique sets of shared values, principles, and norms that distinguish them from others and provide members with a sense of belonging.
An open source software community is a group of people united by the shared purpose of developing, maintaining, extending, and promoting a specific body of open source software. These communities are often globally distributed — their members occupy different geographic regions and work across numerous industries. What unites them is their common vision for the open source software project — as well as the spirit of camaraderie and collective identity that participating in the community affords them. (TOSW)

Interactive loops between the player and game. The player forms an intent and carries out an action, providing input to the game. This causes a change to the game’s internal state, and the game provides feedback to the player as to the success or other effects of his/her actions. Typically this feedback also provides the player with information about his/her progression in the game or another reward or another form of call to action to keep the player engaged with the game. The new abilities afforded by his/her progression or reward encourage the player to form a new goal or intent, and the cycle begins again.
This cycle can take place at many different levels of attention and over different lengths of time. A game’s core loops are determined by the game’s design and, in particular, by what form of interaction is the most significant for player engagement. This almost always includes the low-level action/feedback loop, as this is where the player and the game truly interface: the player performs an action like pressing a key, moving a mouse, or tapping a screen, and the game responds with feedback in acknowledgment.
This action/feedback loop may not be the most significant loop in the game+player system, however. The game design determines which types of interaction demand the player’s primary focus, and those then form the core loops. Moving around in the game may be the primary point (often along with jumping, shooting, and so on), or it may be only a means to an end. If the player is mainly focused on constructing buildings, discovering technologies, administering an empire, or building relationships, those forms of interaction will create the core loops for the game. (AGDS, p. 156-157)

An iterative systemic process between designing the parts, the loops, and the whole of a game. Nowadays, the term 'game design' is used synonymously to 'video game design' unless explicitly stated otherwise, since the current game market is dominated by digital media. (AGDS, p. 177)

A playful experience that is communicated to a player as an emergent effect of structural, functional, architectural, and thematic elements of a game. (AGDS, p. 97)

The whole of the game+player system arises as an emergent effect of the interactive loops between the player and game. (AGDS, p. 129)
In systemic terms, the player’s and the game’s behaviours are the result of their internal state. Based on their state, each selects actions to take, which then affect and perturb the other’s state. This drives new behavioural responses in return. The player provides input to the game via his/her behaviour, which change the game’s state. The game processes this and provides feedback responses that are input for the player, changing his/her internal state. This creates a reciprocating loop that is the essence of interactivity. This give-and-take between the player and the game is referred to as the game’s core gameplay loop. (AGDS, p. 127)
The core gameplay loop consists of multiple interactive loops between the player and game, which are called the game’s core loops and loosely defined as 'what the player does most of the time' or 'what the player is doing at any given time'. (AGDS, p. 156)

A video game developer specialising in design and development of computer games, which is the process and related activities of software development and creation of video games for computers. A game studio can be a company, non-commercial organisation, team, or individual developer.

In team-based games, teams of players compete with one another to obtain victory. There are a variety of possible team structures, including symmetrical teams like 2 vs 2 players, 3 vs 3 players, etc.; multiple sides teams like 2 vs 2 vs 2 players; the player vs all other players; all players against each other as individual players, pairs of players, or a number of small squads (battle royale, last man standing, or last team standing games), and so on. (Wikipedia)

In gaming, the process of engaging in repetitive and time-consuming tasks before being able to advance. (ECGG, p. 744)

Hard coding (also hard-coding or hardcoding) is the software development practice of embedding data directly into the source code of a program or other executable object, as opposed to obtaining the data from external sources or generating it at runtime. Hard-coded data typically can be modified only by editing the source code and recompiling the executable, although it can be changed in memory or on disk using a debugger or hex editor. Data that is hard-coded is best suited for unchanging pieces of information, such as physical constants, version numbers, and static text elements.
Soft-coded data, on the other hand, encodes arbitrary information through user input, text files, INI files, HTTP server responses, configuration files, preprocessor macros, external constants, databases, command-line arguments, and is determined at runtime. (Wikipedia)

Historical accuracy refers to the extent to which historical accounts, narratives, and interpretations faithfully represent the facts and events as they occurred in the past. This concept is crucial for understanding the developments and transformations that have shaped societies as it underscores the importance of reliable sources and evidence in constructing a true representation of history. (FiveAble.me)

Historical authenticity in fiction and dramaturgy refers to the accurate representation of historical events, figures, and contexts in performance and production, ensuring that the portrayal is faithful to the time period and cultural nuances being depicted. This concept is crucial as it impacts how audiences perceive and engage with the material, affecting both the educational and emotional aspects of a theatrical experience. (FiveAble.me)

Often abbreviated as i18n, internationalisation is the process of designing a software application so that it can be adapted to various languages and regions without engineering changes. (Wikipedia)

Intransitive game systems may seem to be inherently unbalanced, but it is just a different way of achieving overall balance in the system and in the game. Rather than balancing all the parts against each other, as with transitive balance (making all parts effectively equal at the system level), with intransitive balance, parts are balanced on the basis of their costs and benefits. Some parts necessarily have greater benefits, but they also have proportionately higher costs. (AGDS, p. 316)

Jakarta EE (formerly known as Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (Java EE) and Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE)) is a set of specifications, extending Java Standard Edition with specifications for enterprise features such as distributed computing and web services. Jakarta EE applications are run on reference runtime implementations, represented by microservices or application servers, which handle transactions, security, scalability, concurrency and management of the components they are deploying.
Java EE Platform was initially developed by Sun Microsystems, later maintained by Oracle Corporation under the Java Community Process (JCP), and finally on 12 September 2017 submitted to the Eclipse Foundation. In 2018, Java EE Platform was renamed to Jakarta EE Platform.
Jakarta EE is defined by its specifications, which comprises APIs and their interactions software providers must meet in order to declare their products as 'Jakarta EE compliant'. (Jakarta EE at Eclipse Foundation)

A distribution of the Java Platform, which implements the Java Language Specification (JLS) and the Java Virtual Machine Specification (JVMS), and provides the Standard Edition (SE) of the Java Application Programming Interface (API).

Java Platform is a set of computer software and specifications that provides a software platform for developing application software and deploying it in a cross-platform computing environment. Java Platform is used in a wide variety of computing platforms from embedded devices and mobile phones to enterprise servers and supercomputers. (Java Platform’s Home)
Java Platform also comprises a suite of programs that facilitate developing and running programs written in the Java Programming Language. A Java Platform’s implementation includes an execution engine (called a Java Virtual Machine), a compiler and a set of libraries (called a Java Development Kit); there may also be additional servers and alternative libraries that depend on the requirements. The Java Platform’s implementations have been developed for a wide variety of hardware and operating systems with a view to enable Java programs to run identically on all of them.
Java Platform consists of several parts intended for different classes of device and application domains:

A computing platform for development and deployment of portable code for desktop and server environments. The platform uses the Java Programming Language and is part of the Java Platform. Java SE defines a range of general-purpose APIs – such as Java APIs for the Java Class Library – and also includes the Java Language Specification and the Java Virtual Machine Specification. OpenJDK is the official reference implementation at the present time. (Java Platform’s Home)

Java is a high-level, class-based, object-oriented, general-purpose programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems. Compiled Java code can run on all platforms that support Java without the need to be recompiled. It means that software applications written on Java are typically compiled to bytecode that can run on any Java Virtual Machine (JVM) regardless of the underlying computer architecture. Java has a complete language specification, which was firstly published in 1996 and remains updated until nowadays. (Java Programming Language Documentation)

A virtual machine that enables a computer to run Java programs as well as programs written in other languages that are also compiled to Java bytecode. The JVM is detailed by a specification that formally describes what is required in a JVM implementation. (Java Platform’s Home)

A modern, open-source, cross-platform, developer-friendly game engine written primarily on Java. jME is intended for developing 3D games on Java, which can be run on Windows, Linux, macOS, Raspberry Pi, Android, and iOS. jME’s minimalistic and code-first approach makes it perfect for developers who want the game engine’s support while retaining full control over their code with the ability to extend and adapt the engine to their workflow. jME uses Lightweight Java Game Library (LWJGL) as its default renderer, although supports other renderers based on Java OpenGL. (jMonkeyEngine Project)

Kerckhoffs’s principle of cryptography was stated by the European cryptographer Auguste Kerckhoffs in 1883. The principle holds that a cryptosystem should be secure, even if everything about the system, except the key, is public knowledge. This concept is widely embraced by cryptographers, in contrast to the 'security through obscurity' principle, which is not. (Wikipedia)
The principle states that it is good design to assume the enemy knows the details of your algorithm, because eventually they will. Auguste Kerckhoffs first stated this thesis in: There is no secrecy in the algorithm, it’s all in the key. (SANDL, p. 112)

Often abbreviated as l10n, localisation is the process of adapting internationalised software for a specific region or language by translating text and adding locale-specific components. Localisation (which is potentially performed multiple times, for different locales) uses the infrastructure or flexibility provided by internationalisation (which is ideally performed only once before localisation, or as an integral part of ongoing development). (Wikipedia)

A multiplayer game, which is especially designed to be played online simultaneously by a large number of players. (ECGG, p. 596)

A multiplayer game, which is especially designed to be played online simultaneously by a large number of players who are allowed to fill and act out certain roles the gameplay provides. (ECGG, p. 596)

In multiplayer video games, matchmaking is the process of connecting players together for online play sessions.

A game engine, which is based on the jMonkeyEngine Game Engine and aims to improve the integration of Bullet Real-Time Physics Simulation and Khaled Mamou’s V-HACD Library into jMonkeyEngine. The project is named after Claude-Étienne Minié, who in 1846 developed an improved bullet for rifles. The preferred English pronunciation is roughly "min-YAY", but "MIN-ee" is also acceptable. (Minie Project)

A customer-centered product that users love from the start, defined by its features offering the minimum a product needs to be loved.

The version of the software product ready to be sold to end users. Usually, the MMP is viewed as the simplest product that the market will accept before new features are added.

The simplest version of a new software product that you need to build to sell it to a market; this version allows the development team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about customers with the least effort.

A mob, short for mobile or mobile object, is any computer-controlled non-playing character (NPC) existing in a video game. Mobs can be hostile, friendly, or neutral NPCs. (Wikipedia)

A game that is designed for multiplayer mode where two or more players are expected throughout the entire gameplay. (ECGG, p. 596)

A change, usually a patch, intended to weaken a particular item, tactic, ability, or character, ostensibly for balancing purposes. Similar to Debuff. Contrast with Upping. Related to Balance. (Glossary of video game terms)

Non-playing characters (also called non-player characters, or non-playable characters) are broadly defined as visible components of a game that are under the control of the computer, and that either work with or against the human player. (ECGG, p. 1099)

A business model, when a dedicated server permits to control the access of users to the gaming servers and to reduce (or avoid) the game piracy. Moreover, this server allows to profile users and offer additional services related to the game. An example is in-game stores in which gamers can purchase items and services. (ECGG, p. 319)

A business model, when players who are willing to pay for special items, downloadable content, or to skip cool-down timers may be able to gain an advantage over those playing for free who might otherwise hardly be able to access said items. In general, a game is considered pay-to-win when a player can gain any advantage over their non-paying peers. (Wikipedia)

A companion to the game: without the player, the game itself still exists, but gameplay exists only when game and player come together (the game+player system). (AGDS, p. 97)

A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not controlled by a player are called non-playing characters (NPCs). The actions of non-player characters are typically handled by the game itself in video games. The player character functions as a fictional, alternate body for the player controlling the character. (Wikipedia)

A business model, also known as pay-to-earn, which is very similar to Pay-To-Win Model except it requires using of cryptocurrency and other blockchain technologies for monetisation. (Wikipedia)

Someone’s perspective or angle on a specific situation or topic.

A software system, which implements some concept within some technology stack in a solution and demonstrates feasibility of this solution for the target business purposes and users; this software system can be as small and complete as sufficient to confirm its viability and the likelihood of the implementation’s success. In computer game development, tech and game demos serve as proof of concept, so they can demonstrate graphical and gameplay capabilities of the future game.

A software system, which seeks to show how the solution can solve concrete business problems and bring significant benefits to the company and end users. This software system often involves testing in real life scenarios to quantify efficiency gains, cost savings, customer satisfaction, and other commercial benefits. The findings made during the proof of value’s elaboration are later implemented in prototypes and the minimum viable product.

An early implementation of a software product or information system, built for demonstration purposes and/or as part of the development process. Although the terms proof of concept and prototype are used interchangeably, but in fact they imply different results and serve different purposes. The purpose of a proof of concept is to help decide whether the idea is feasible or not, and to ensure it will work as intended. On the contrary, the purpose of a prototype is to test the usability, functionality and design of a working model.

A genre of video games that allow the player to fill and act out certain roles the gameplay provides. (ECGG, p. 99)

An approach when software products and capabilities have been designed and developed to be foundationally secure. (Wikipedia)

A game that is designed for single-player mode where only one player is expected throughout the entire gameplay. (ECGG, p. 847)

From the bottom-up view, a system is a set of parts that together form loops of interaction between them to create a persistent 'whole'. The whole has its own properties and behaviors belonging to the group but not to any single part within it. (AGDS, p. 50)
From the top-down view, a system is the integrated whole that arises out of independent, interacting parts. Those parts have their own internal state, boundaries, and behaviors by which they mutually affect each other. This whole persists over time, adapts to external conditions, and has its own coordinated behaviors that emerge from the interactions of its parts. The system can both contain lower-level subsystems within it and be itself part of a higher-level supersystem. (AGDS, p. 86)

In gaming, a technology tree, tech tree, or research tree is a hierarchical visual representation of the possible sequences of upgrades a player can unlock (most typically representing the research progress of a given faction). (Wikipedia)

The project, which stands behind the DGA Game. The FLEISS Software Foundation is a non-profit established to advance development of Free/Libre and Open Source Software of enterprise quality and to extend its usage in everyday life. The word 'FLEISS' stands for 'Free/Libre Enterprise Information Software System'. The preferred English pronunciation is ['fleis], but ['flais] is also acceptable. In the German language the word 'Fleiß m.' (Fleiss m.) means 'diligence, industriousness, studiousness'. (The Cambridge Dictionary)

Third-person, also spelled third person, is a graphical perspective rendered from a fixed distance behind and slightly above the player character. (Wikipedia)

Game systems made of parts with transitive relationships are those where every part within the system is better than one but inferior to another. The ancient game of Rock-Paper-Scissors (RPS) is a pervasive example of transitive balance: rock crushes scissors, scissors cut paper, paper covers rock. Each part in the system both overcomes another and is beaten by a different one. No one part predominates or beats all the others. (AGDS, p. 311-312)

A change intended to strengthen a particular item, tactic, ability, or character, ostensibly for balancing purposes. Similar to Buff. Contrast with Nerfing. Related to Balance. (Glossary of video game terms)

A weapons system, which is a combination of one or more weapons with all related equipment, materials, services, personnel, and means of delivery and deployment (if applicable) required for self-sufficiency. (NIST)

XMPP is the Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol, a set of open technologies for instant messaging, presence, multi-party chat, voice and video calls, collaboration, lightweight middleware, content syndication, and generalised routing of XML data. XMPP was originally developed in the Jabber open-source community to provide an open, decentralised alternative to the closed instant messaging services at that time. XMPP has the following advantages such as openness, standardness, provenness, decentralisation, security, extensibility, flexibility, diversity. (XMPP Standards Foundation (XSF))