IdeaWazaWiki - User contributions [en]

Instance dungeon

2011-05-07T01:29:47Z

70.131.104.43: /* Usage */

{{Refimprove|date=August 2010}}
In [[massively multiplayer online game]]s, an '''instance''' is a special area, typically a [[dungeon (games)|dungeon]], that generates a new copy of the location for each group, or for certain amount of players, that enters the area.<ref name="Carless">{{cite book | title=Gaming hacks | author=Simon Carless | year=2004 | publisher=O'Reilly Media | isbn=9780596007140 | page=112 | quote=A term used to describe a private portion of a gameworld created just for an individual or group of players.}}</ref> Instancing, the general term for the use of this technique,<ref name="Carless" /> addresses several problems encountered by players in the shared spaces of [[virtual world]]s. It is not widely known when instances were first used in this genre, however ''[[The Realm Online]]'' (1996) is sometimes credited as introducing the concept.

==Design considerations==
{{Rquote|right|Single-player games are great, and I love them. They have a great feature. Your life is very special. You are ''the'' hero and you get to save the ''whole'' world. You live a truly charmed existence, and around every corner you are finding new things. You're blissfully unaware of your neighbor who is also playing the game. (...) [''[[Tabula Rasa]]''] is like [[Disney World]], which has a hub. You can go to shops and get food, but when you get on the boat for the pirate ride, you're in your own version of reality. Once the ride starts, you are blissfully unaware of the boats in front of you and behind you. Then when you finish, you are in the hub, and you can navigate over to the next place.|[[Richard Garriott]]|in ''Dungeons and Dreamers: The Rise of Computer Game Culture from Geek to Chic'' (2003)<ref name="borlanddd_a" />}}
The problem can be stated as follows: every player wants to be "The Hero", slay "The Monster", rescue "The Princess", and obtain "The Magic Sword". When there are thousands of players all playing the same game, clearly not everyone can be the hero. The problem of everyone wanting to kill the same monster and gain the best treasure became obvious in the game ''[[EverQuest]]'', where several groups of players would compete and sometimes harass each other in the same dungeon, in order to get to the monsters dropping valuable items. The creation of instances largely solves this set of problems, leaving only travelling to and from the dungeon as a potential risk in [[player versus player]] environments.<ref name="borlanddd_a">{{Cite book|first=Brad|last=King|first2=John M.|last2=Borland|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=CvxOAAAAMAAJ |title=Dungeons and Dreamers: The Rise of Computer Game Culture from Geek to Chic |publisher=[[McGraw-Hill|McGraw-Hill/Osborne]] |year=2003 |accessdate=2010-09-25 |isbn = 0072228881 | ref=borlanddd |pages=255–257}}</ref>

Stated another way, instances can be used to reduce the competition over resources within the game.<ref name="McQuaid">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamergod.com/article.php?article_id=2933 |title=Instancing in Online Gaming |author=[[Brad McQuaid]] |date=29 November 2005 |publisher=GamerGod |accessdate=8 August 2010 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20060324110936/http://www.gamergod.com/article.php?article_id=2933 |archivedate=24 March 2006}}</ref> Excessive competition in these spaces leads to several undesirable behaviors such as [[kill stealing]], [[spawn camping]], and [[ninja looting]] as players do whatever they can to acquire the limited rewards. Instancing preserves the gaming experience, since some gaming scenarios do not work if the player is continually surrounded by other players, as in a multiplayer setting. Instance dungeons may contain stronger than usual mobs and rare, sought-after equipment. They also may include level restrictions and/or restrict the number of players allowed in each instance to balance gameplay. Several games use instancing to scale the [[mob (computer gaming)|mobs]] to the players' levels, and/or the number of players present.

Despite its advantages, instancing in MMOGs has been criticized. [[Brad McQuaid]], lead designer of ''[[EverQuest]]'' and ''[[Vanguard: Saga of Heroes]]'' (both of which did not feature instancing at launch), wrote an essay in 2005 arguing that instances can negatively affect the game's community, [[virtual economy]], [[churn rate]], and other factors.<ref name="McQuaid" /> In response to this article, [[Raph Koster]] added that instancing should be limited to situations in which the creation of a "pocket zone" makes sense within the context of the [[fictional universe]] — such as the [[holodeck]] in the [[Star Trek franchise]].<ref name="Koster">{{cite web |url=http://www.raphkoster.com/2005/11/30/from-instancing-to-worldy-games/ |title=From instancing to worldy games |author=[[Raph Koster]] |date=30 November 2005 |accessdate=8 August 2010}}</ref> One reviewer described the extensive use of instancing in ''[[Age of Conan]]'' as "[destroying] the sense of expansiveness an MMORPG should have".<ref name="Ryan">{{cite journal|last=Ryan|first=Leon|title=Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures|journal=GameAxis Unwired|year=2008|month=July|pages=35|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=weoDAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false|accessdate=8 August 2010}}</ref>

==Technical considerations==
Having players participate in instances tends to spread out populations of players, instead of concentrating them, which may reduce or level the workload for both the [[game server|server]] and [[client (computing)|client]] by limiting the number of potential interactions between players and objects. Because the [[player character]]s in the instance do not need to be updated on all the information going on outside the instance, and vice versa for the characters outside the instance, there is an overall decrease in demands on the network, with the net result being less [[lag]] for the players. This also reduces the demands on each player's computer, as the number of objects to be processed can be more easily limited by the game's developer. The developer can better reason about the worst case performance requirements in an instance because they do not have to consider scenarios such as hundreds of players descending on any location at any time.

==Usage==
{{further|[[Comparison of massively multiplayer online role-playing games]]}}

Perhaps the first virtual world to use instances was the MMORPG ''[[The Realm Online]]'', launched in 1996. Combat in this game was extensively instanced, with every battle taking place in a special room outside of the open world.

In ''[[Guild Wars]]'', Town/Outpost areas are created on demand, with a new "district" of that town being created for every 100 players in it; players can move between these at will. Players can play with players across the globe, as in ''[[EVE Online]]'', along with the advantages in load scaling and resources of a traditional multiple server model for [[ArenaNet]], the developers.

''[[Vanguard: Saga of Heroes]]'' does not use instance dungeons. However, it is envisioned that, through the Advanced Encounter System (AES), certain "boss" NPCs can be triggered when a group enters an area; this NPC would then be "tagged" to that group, meaning no other players could attack or interact with it. AES was not implemented in the commercial release of ''Vanguard'', but the developer is reportedly working on it and plan to release it in a future patch.{{Update after|2010|11}}

In ''[[RuneScape]]'', instances are used mostly in quests, so that other players cannot interfere with the player who is doing the quest, such as battling boss [[Non-player character|NPC]]'s or having to accomplish a special task. They are also used in certain 'minigames'. However, most monsters not related to quests are not instanced, so players often have to compete with each other to get the reward from killing them. They are also used extensively in the new skill Dungeoneering.

''[[Wizard101]]'' has a unique system for its instances. As soon as a player steps on the entry area, there are ten seconds given for up to three other players to enter. Once inside, the instance usually triggers a new line of quests, which must be completed to gain access to other parts of the instance. If a player logs out or leaves through the "front door", progress wil be reset (a warning message will appear). If a player dies, flees, or teleports, data will then be reset in 30 minutes. If a monster is defeat in an instance, it stays defeated. Players can repeat instances as many times as they want.

==See also==
* [[Game server]] (or "shard")
* [[Persistent world]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2010}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Instance Dungeon}}
[[Category:Video game gameplay]]
[[Category:Massively multiplayer online role-playing games]]
[[Category:Competitive video gaming]]

[[cs:Instance (MMORPG)]]
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[[fr:Donjon instancié]]
[[it:Instance]]
[[pl:Instancja (MMORPG)]]
[[fi:Instanssi-luolasto]]
[[sv:Instans (datorspel)]]
[[zh:副本 (電子遊戲)]]

Hypercane

2008-08-28T00:14:10Z

70.131.213.254: /* References */

A '''hypercane''' is a hypothetical class of extreme [[tropical cyclone]] that could form if ocean temperatures reached around {{convert|50|°C|°F}} —15° higher than the warmest ocean temperature ever recorded<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.windows.ucar.edu/tour/link=/earth/Water/temp.html&edu=high |title=Temperature of Ocean Water |publisher=[[University Corporation for Atmospheric Research]] |work=Windows to the Universe |date=2001-08-31 |accessdate=2008-07-24}}</ref>— which could in turn be caused by a large [[asteroid]] or [[comet]] impact, a large [[volcano|volcanic]] or [[supervolcano|supervolcanic]] eruption, or very extensive [[global warming]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=30308 |title=The Dawn of the Hypercane? |first=Stephen |last=Leahy |publisher=[[Inter Press Service]] |date=2005-09-16 |accessdate=2008-07-24}}</ref> There is some speculation that some [[dinosaur]]s might have been killed off by a series of hypercanes, resulting from an asteroid or comet crashing into [[Earth]].<ref>{{cite journal |title=Did storms land the dinosaurs in hot water? |first=Jeff |last=Hecht |journal=[[New Scientist]] |date=1995-02-04 |url=http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg14519632.600-did-storms-land-the-dinosaurs-in-hot-water.html |issue=1963 |pages=p. 16 |accessdate=2008-07-24 }}</ref> The term was coined by atmospheric scientist [[Kerry Emanuel]] in 1994, at [[MIT]].<ref name="MIT">{{cite web |url=http://wind.mit.edu/~emanuel/holem/holem.html |title=Limits on Hurricane Intensity |first=Kerry |last=Emanuel |publisher=[[Center for Meteorology and Physical Oceanography ]], [[MIT]] |date=1996-09-16 |accessdate=2008-07-24 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Hypercanes: A Possible Link to Global Extinction Scenarios |first=Kerry |last=Emanuel |coauthors=Kevin Speer, Richard Rotunno, Ramesh Srivastava, Mario Molina |journal= |date=1998-03-22 |volume=100 |issue=D7 |pages=pp. 13755–13765 |journal=[[Journal of Geophysical Research]] |url=http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/1995/95JD01368.shtml |accessdate=2008-07-24 }}</ref>

==Physical description==
Hypercanes would have wind speeds of over {{convert|800|km/h|mph}}, and would also have a central pressure of less than {{convert|700|hPa|inHg|abbr=off|lk=on}}, giving them an enormous lifespan.<ref name="MIT" /> The extreme conditions needed to create such a storm could conceivably produce a system up to the size of [[North America]], creating [[storm surge]]s of {{convert|18|m|ft|abbr=off|lk=off}} and an eye nearly {{convert|300|km|mi|abbr=off|lk=off}} across. The waters could remain hot enough for weeks, allowing more hypercanes to be formed. A hypercane's clouds would reach {{convert|30|km|mi}} into the [[stratosphere]]. A hypercane would also damage the earth's [[ozone]].<ref name="MIT" /> The reason for this is the water molecules sent up into the [[ozone]] layer merge with the [[ultraviolet light]] repelling particles and disintegrate the particles, creating a hole in the vicinity. Other scientists have theorized that the system, compared to a normal [[hurricane]], would be considerably smaller, about 10 miles in diameter. This would more comparable to a [[tornado]], which can top out to about a mile and a half in diameter.

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{tcportal}}

[[Category:Tropical cyclone meteorology]]
{{hurricane-stub}}
{{weather-stub}}

Archive:Fanboy

2007-03-12T18:42:45Z

70.131.193.46: /* Subjects of obsession */

{{Otheruses3|Fanboys}}

{{Mergeto|Fan (person)|date=March 2007}}

'''Fanboy''' or '''Fanboi''' is a term used to describe an individual (usually male, though the feminine version ''[[fangirl]]'' may be used for females) who is utterly devoted to a single fannish subject, or to a single point of view within that subject, often to the point where it is considered an [[obsession]]. ''Fanboys'' remain loyal to their particular obsession, disregarding any factors that differ from their point of view. Fanboys are also typically aggressive and hateful towards the opposing brand or competition of their obsession regardless of its merits or achievements.

==History of fanboys and the term==
The term originated in [[comic book]] circles, to describe someone who immersed himself in the fictional worlds of comics and the culture of comics fandom. The term is often used in a derogatory manner by other less obsessed fans. In the songs of the fannish [[parody]] [[musician]] [[Luke Ski]], many characters proudly consider themselves ''fanboys''. The term is most commonly associated with adolescent and teen males but can be applicable to any age or sex. Common subjects of reverence by fanboys are [[TV show]]s, [[film|movie]]s, [[music]], [[anime]], [[comic books]], [[car]]s, [[video game console]]s, [[video games]], [[operating system]]s, [[MMORPG]]s, [[Computer Hardware|hardware]] and [[software]] companies.

The stereotypical image of the fanboy is as an unkempt, socially awkward, young man who may be perceived as a loud mouthed [[pseudo-intellectual]]. Popular depictions of this stereotype include the [[Comic Book Guy]] on ''[[The Simpsons]]'' and columnist [[Larry Groznic]] from the satirical newspaper ''[[The Onion]]''.

The earliest published uses of the word "fanboy" have been dated to 1982. One reference is to the cover of the "Official Underground and Newave Comix Price Guide". On this cover page are sketched overweight, overzealous comic book collectors wearing T-shirts that state "Fanboys of America," and are describing the extreme measures they would go to, including moving to San Francisco, to preserve their comics. Also published in 1982, a comic strip appeared in Jim Engel and Chuck Fiala's "Fandom Confidential" comic. In the strip, Jim and Chuck met comic artist/writer [[John Byrne]] and collapsed into "mindless paroxysms of adoration." The John Byrne character responded that they were "a couple of fanboys in bondage" which was a play on words referring to a [[List of Monty Python's Flying Circus episodes#8. Archaeology Today|Monty Python skit]] in which an Elizabethan era character reads what she claims to be "'Gayboys in Bondage' by William Shakespeare".[http://www.byrnerobotics.com/FAQ/listing.asp?ID=7&T1=Miscellaneous+Questions#154] Another early use is in a smart-alec editorial reply by "[[Ambush Bug]]" to a letter in his comic in [[1985]].

==Subjects of obsession==
{{Expand|date=March 2007}}
{{Cleanup|March 2007}}
Some current examples of brands and products which have fanboy supporters:
*The [[graphics processing unit]]s produced by [[ATI Technologies|ATI]] and [[NVIDIA]].
*The [[computer]] [[microprocessor]] companies [[Advanced Micro Devices|AMD]] and [[Intel Corporation|Intel]].
*The various [[automobile]] manufacturers, such as [[General Motors]] and [[Ford]].
*The competing video game consoles [[Xbox 360]], [[Wii]] and [[Playstation 3]]
*The competing handheld video game consoles the [[Nintendo DS]] and the [[PlayStation Portable]].
*The competing [[DVD]] successor formats [[Blu-ray Disc|Blu-ray]] and [[HD DVD]].
*The competing computer hardware and software produced by [[Apple Inc.|Apple]], [[Microsoft]], and [[Linux|GNU/Linux]]. (See also [[Operating system advocacy]]).
*The various [[MP3]] players, notably the [[iPod]] and the [[Zune]].
*The long running [[science-fiction]] franchises [[Star Trek]], [[Star Wars]], [[Doctor Who]], [[The Matrix]] and [[Babylon 5]].
*The Japanese style of animation and comics, also known as [[Anime]] and [[Manga]], respectively.
*The comic book brands [[DC Comics]] and [[Marvel Comics]].
*The internet [[web browser]]s [[Mozilla Firefox|Firefox]] and [[Opera (internet suite)|Opera]].
*The [[First Person Shooter]] [[Video Games]] [[Quake]], [[Unreal Tournament]], and [[Counter Strike]].
*The wrestling companies [[WWE]], [[TNA]], and [[ROH]].

==Media==
===Comic Book===
*[[Sergio Aragonés]]' ''Fanboy''

===Television===
*''[[The Simpsons]]'''s [[Comic Book Guy]] refers to himself as a fanboy.
*''[[Freakazoid!|Freakazoid]]'''s [[freakazoid!#Other characters|Fan Boy]]

===Radio/Podcasts===
*[[Fanboy Radio]] - [http://fanboyradio.com]
*Drooling FanBoy - [http://droolingfanboy.com]
*ifanboy - [http://www.ifanboy.com]
*[[The Fanboy Smackdown Podcast]] - [http://www.fanboysmackdown.com]
*[[The Opie and Anthony Show]] - [http://www.opieandanthony.com]

===Webcomics===
*Fanboy Almanac (webcomic) - [http://fanboyalmanac.com Fanboy Almanac]
*[http://www.ngeb.net/fanboys Fanboys web comic]
*[http://www.fogclub.net Fanboy Otaku Gamers Club web comic]
*[http://www.fanboysonline.com Fanboys!! Beyond Geekdom!!! (webcomic)]
*[http://www.fanboys-online.com Fanboys-Online]

==See also==
* [[Addiction]]
* [[Computer zealotry]]
* [[Editor war]]
* [[Anorak (slang)|Anorak]]
* [[Astroturfing]]
* [[Otaku]]

== External links ==
* [http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=fanboy Urban dictionary: fanboy]
* [http://www.netjak.com/review.php/1013 Dissecting the Fanboy Mind] - A discussion of the fanboy behavior in regards to video games.
* [http://palgn.com.au/article.php?id=6463 The trial of the Fanboy] - A criticism of the fanboy concept and overusage of the term.

[[Category:Fandom]]
[[Category:Anime and manga terminology]]

[[de:Fanboy]]