Terms & Acronyms

This post will present terms and acronyms used through out the various articles on this blog as a quick way to learn how they are used and what they mean in the context of this blog.


Arena
The term Arena Style Shooter is used to describe Halo in general. The Arena is a small map that provides fast paced action that is designed to bring out skill. Each player spawns with the same weapons and the behavior of the map is highly predictable (weapon spawns, etc.). In essence, an Arena is where two men go in and the better man comes out.

Canvas
The term Canvas is used exclusively to refer to the publisher created forge space. This is in contrast to the term Map, which refers to the forged play area.

For example, Forge Island, Exile, Abandon, and Ravine are all Canvases. In their empty state, there are no forge objects on them. On the other hand, Simplex, Exile, Abandon, and Settler are all maps because they have forge pieces on them. Some of the Canvas names are also the names of maps that have been forged on them.

Through out this blog, the word Canvas refers to the forge-able Canvas itself, where as the word map refers to a Canvas with forge pieces on it.

CQC
Close Quarters Combat

Egress Path
A Path that leads out of a Space.

Game Element
A Game Element is any single element or aspect of the Game Play. For example, a trick jump, scoping with the Sniper, camping your team’s flag, spawn trap, map control, etc.

Geometry
An abstract term that refers to the collective surfaces of the map in the aggregate – both the terrain and forged structures together.

Ingress Path
A Path that leads into a Space.

Lobby
A small Space or Walkway leading to the main interior of a team base or major Space on the map. An anti-chamber of sorts. Can be used for staging, stealth approach, and general cover.

LOS
Line of Sight

Map
See Canvas.

Pace
The speed with which the Game Play proceeds, using the speed at which score is accumulated as the best metric to measure with.

Palette
The collection of forge objects associated with a Canvas. See Canvas.

Power Weapon
A Power Weapon is any weapon that you do not start with, that you pick up from the map (including ordnance drop). A DMR could be a Power Weapon if players don’t start with it and the DMR is a limited commodity on the map.
 
Space
A Space is an area that is generally enclosed with external LOS found only through its entrances/exits. This generalization is used to help define the term, but there are always exceptions. A LOS may occur over a wall in limited and specific directions.

A Space can be a base, or any room or open area on a map by which the player in the Space only need concern himself with the entrances/exits. Walls are not necessary. For example, a space can have an open side that is exposed to the Canvas scenery, though this open side in no way exposes the Space to any LOS from the other playable areas on the map.

Staging Area
A staging area is any area that is used to prepare for a push.

Walkway
A Walkway serves to connect or provide a Path between Spaces, is generally singular height and width, and typically has only entrances at either end, but can have additional openings in the middle along the sides.