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View Full Version : What does "mobs" mean?



Exy
07-01-2011, 04:53 AM
I'm asking entirely out of idle curiosity, but this has stuck out to me for the several years I've followed this place and brinkster.

Why do you guys say "mobs" when you clearly mean "monsters"? It's obvious in the circumstance that you don't mean what "mob" actually means in real life -- as in, a "mob" may not in fact be a mob of monsters, because generally it appears to mean a single monster.

So, uh, what exactly is a "mob" and where did the tradition of using the word that way start? Because I have never seen the word "mob" used similarly in any other context. And I'm full of curiosities.

Chris
07-01-2011, 05:40 AM
I don't know myself (though I've never really wondered about that particular thing) but I find it cute that it was your first post :D

I always thought it was because they were mobbing my character all the time. So I kill them. Damn mobs.

gut
07-01-2011, 07:04 AM
soirana once used it in reference to a monster. I picked it up
because for some reason, I liked it. To my knowledge, I am
the only one who uses it.

_Ln_
07-01-2011, 07:26 AM
To my knowledge, I am
the only one who uses it.

Written that (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mob_(video_gaming)) too, haven't you? ;)

gut
07-01-2011, 07:37 AM
ahh, I don't play MMORPG's, so wouldn't really know that.

Does explain why I got it from soirana though, as I think
he once linked to some MMORPG online quiz, so perhaps
he was/is active in that scene and picked the word up from
there.

Good to know I'm not alone :)

Exy
07-01-2011, 08:37 AM
Wait, Soirana is a he? I always assumed she was a she, due to her name ending with an A.

Chris
07-01-2011, 08:47 AM
And your second post is also brilliant :D

Even though the only MMORPG's I've played have been Runescape (barely qualifies, eh?) and WoW (only one week) I don't recall hearing the term "mobs" in there.

gut
07-01-2011, 08:52 AM
According to what bloody just linked, it stands for 'mobile'.
To think of all these years I just thought I was repeating a
bit of Lithuanglish.

And soirana has, in the past, teased females for being less
good in math than males. That is a sure-fire tip off :D

Grey
07-01-2011, 09:55 AM
It's very hard for me to imagine Soirana as a female :/ And I mean that as a compliment to women everywhere...

I always thoughts mobs tied in with the idea of being mobbed. According to Wikipedia that comes from the Latin for "fickle commoners", though supposedly the computer gaming term is from the term "mobile" for enemies in an early MUD. However it's hard to be sure of just how accurate the latter is. After all, we pronounce it "moh-b" not "mow-b", leading me to believe the regular term for mobs is more of an influence.

_Ln_
07-01-2011, 10:02 AM
Well, I always thought 'mob' is a common word in gaming slang. Often heard it in talks of FPS's and RPG's (don't know about MMORPG's since never played, but why not).

I must admit I was also surprised to see the 'mobile' idea. Somehow I thought it was more like 'mobster'.


Wait, Soirana is a he? I always assumed she was a she, due to her name ending with an A.

Don't listen to any of them, Soirana really is a Hot Chick. ;)

nathrakh
07-01-2011, 10:57 AM
I picked it up from MUD games.. and I'm pretty sure that's where the use originates too.

Dudley
07-01-2011, 07:38 PM
Wait, Soirana is a he? I always assumed she was a she, due to her name ending with an A.

I used to think that too. till i saw him postin' a bondage image.

xan
07-01-2011, 11:22 PM
I've heard mob used quite a lot while playing World of Warcraft. I played for 5 years but no longer play.

Exy
07-02-2011, 09:48 AM
Okay, so, it's apparently a term that is used in this sort of game. I find that a source of vague but definite relief. I don't play many video games and it's nice to have my weird itchy discomfort with people misusing the word "mob" explained -- they are just using a term of art that I am unfamiliar with.

Also please encourage Soirana to post nude pics b/c otherwise I'm still p. sure she's a lady.

gut
07-02-2011, 11:13 AM
(5/8/2010 2:31:52 AM)

14:28 <Soirana> hello dumb
14:29 <dumbgut> ello
14:29 <dumbgut> soirana, aka hotchick
14:29 <Soirana> lol
14:29 <dumbgut> will be interesting to see if your alias gets further than the regular you
14:29 <Soirana> if i was it, i would have already played
14:29 <dumbgut> true
14:30 <Soirana> you know how much patience i've got:)
14:30 <dumbgut> honestly don't look for hotty to show
14:30 <Soirana> afraid to be beaten by girl
14:31 <Soirana> He/she changed avatar picture
14:31 <Soirana> So i guess it is not one time joke
14:31 <dumbgut> if it was actually girl, which i doubt
14:32 <Soirana> you actually have zero reason to believe i am not girl:)
14:32 <Soirana> except few fake pictures
14:33 <dumbgut> you have taunted elone in the past
14:33 <dumbgut> saying "not bad math for a girl
14:33 <dumbgut> doubt that is something a gal would say
14:34 <dumbgut> 'hotchick' is on a distinguished road
14:34 <Soirana> damn you have good emmory
14:34 <dumbgut> something about that just sounds wierd
14:34 <dumbgut> only on some things :)
14:34 <Bloody_Lemon> Grey said he knows who HotChick is
14:34 <dumbgut> ask me what letter represents a vampire in adom
14:34 <dumbgut> I'll say 'V'
14:34 <dumbgut> for vampire, duh
14:35 <dumbgut> was so embarrassed when that happened
14:35 <Bloody_Lemon> @m vampire
14:35 <soradombot> Vampire (Z): C, 100spd, 50-110/290 hp, 32dv, 9pv, 2x 4d5+6 [+4] (drain st, drain to), 120s, IMMUNE(mindcraft, poison), VULN(humanoid slaying, undead slaying), corpse(2&#37;; [+1To], Alignment -500), dl20(25), intel(75%), sees in darkness, sr(35%), tracking(90%)
14:36 <dumbgut> of course it's a Z
14:36 <Soirana> :)
14:36 <dumbgut> I had been playing loads of crawl and got my signals crossed
14:36 <Bloody_Lemon> heh, I got confused too
14:36 <Bloody_Lemon> tried to remember what it really was
14:36 <dumbgut> I'm intentionally staying well away from crawl durring this tourney




^kinda wish I had the sense nowadays to stay away from crawl durring adom tourneys

gut
07-02-2011, 11:32 AM
everytime I go through these old irc logs looking for some
obscure, half-remembered piece of info, I catch a glimpse of
some hilarious conversation and lose about 5 minutes of my
day reading it again. As punishment to you, for causing this
to happen to me again, I am posting a snippet of said log. I
hope you lose 5 minutes as well :D



23:35 <galaxywatcher> Care to hear my RL idea?
23:35 <dumbgut> ya
23:35 * jmr quits (Ping timeout: 258 seconds)
23:37 <dumbgut> you must be typing a lot :D
23:37 <Madtrixr> That's what I thought, too.
23:37 <Madtrixr> :D
23:37 <galaxywatcher> Ok. You wake up naked, and cold, and starving on some remote beach. As your head clears you remember that you have been shipwrecked. You start to come to your senses and you see your ship half sunk off the coast.
23:38 <galaxywatcher> You are in desparate need of food. You have little time to feed before you die.
23:38 <galaxywatcher> You start rummaging for clams and small crabs.
23:38 <galaxywatcher> You slowly build up enough strength to explore the area
23:38 <dumbgut> sounds a lot like teemu
23:39 <galaxywatcher> THere are a vast number of trees and unknown plants
23:39 <Madtrixr> Hmm...
23:39 * Madtrixr has heard of a Gameboy game like this before...
23:39 <galaxywatcher> You have several eating commands. Lick, Taste, nibble, eat, sip, drink
23:39 <galaxywatcher> You must learn which plants are poisonous and which are edible.
23:39 <galaxywatcher> By very carefully consuming them
23:39 <dumbgut> http://koti.mbnet.fi/paulkp/teemu/Teemu1_11.zip
23:40 <dumbgut> oh, yours sounds different
23:40 <galaxywatcher> As you get to know the forest a little better and which plants can sustain you, you start to build up an inventory of useful plants
23:40 <galaxywatcher> Some can be fashioned into clothes
23:40 <galaxywatcher> And later into armor.
23:40 <galaxywatcher> Others can be made into rope
23:41 <galaxywatcher> You begin to experience survival tactics and understadn the area better
23:41 <galaxywatcher> You start to notice animals .
23:41 <dumbgut> what language you gonna use?
23:41 <galaxywatcher> Some are out to get you, others can be useful indicators of food and pets.
23:41 <galaxywatcher> dumbgut: python
23:42 <galaxywatcher> As you start to get the hang of survival, you begin to notice that you are not alone.
23:42 <galaxywatcher> There are cannibals
23:42 <galaxywatcher> and witch doctors
23:42 <dumbgut> dorten has written a rl in python, I can get ye a link to the source if ye like
23:42 <galaxywatcher> and archers and magicians
23:42 <galaxywatcher> There are advanced levels of enemies that you will soon encounter.
23:43 <galaxywatcher> The game is titled: Tribwar
23:43 <galaxywatcher> Tribewar
23:43 <Madtrixr> Hmm...
23:43 <galaxywatcher> There is another issue.
23:43 <galaxywatcher> You discover that you are on an uncharted Island.
23:43 <dumbgut> ah, the PC enfluences and eventually controls a tribe, then slaughters all opposition?
23:43 <galaxywatcher> There is a volcano on the island.
23:44 <galaxywatcher> dumbgut: that is one path
23:44 <galaxywatcher> The other path is to convert the cannibals to peacful coexistence
23:44 <dumbgut> ah, like a timecap. if you don't sac enough virgins, the whole thing blows
23:44 <galaxywatcher> yes.
23:44 <Madtrixr> Wow. really?
23:45 <dumbgut> if you goof and toss a slut, it's automatic boom
23:45 <dumbgut> best to chuck babies to be safe
23:45 <galaxywatcher> The volcano is actually an energy source for a dark wizard who is using the volcano to power his universe conquering engine of absolute destruction.
23:45 <galaxywatcher> You learn that your ultimate mission is to defeat the dark wizard and save the universe.
23:45 <dumbgut> don't blame him for wantin' to get off that island
23:45 <galaxywatcher> Or conquer the universe
23:46 <galaxywatcher> The whole planet dies if you just leave.
23:46 <dumbgut> I can't wait to dub my lil' guy Gilligan
23:46 <galaxywatcher> hehe
23:46 <Madtrixr> You kind of have to...
23:46 <dumbgut> 'skipper' if he's genned a troll
23:47 <galaxywatcher> There will be multiple paths one can take. but what I have outlined would be the uber ending
23:47 <dumbgut> eat the dark mage's corpse, and gain his powers?
23:47 <galaxywatcher> Kill him and take his amulet.
23:47 <dumbgut> I prefer eating his corpse
23:47 <galaxywatcher> Which is the key
23:48 <dumbgut> suppose I could do that anyway though, after looting the ammy
23:48 <galaxywatcher> Cannibals are one path.
23:48 <dumbgut> yes, that would be mine

_Ln_
07-02-2011, 08:06 PM
The plant part is the awesome one. I'd add randomizing effects for plants each, say, 5 games. And add your previous attemts encounter feature. And then you just have to find a corpse with a stash of plants and a piece of cloth on which 'edible' is written in blood. And then you eat one and die.

Molach
07-06-2011, 06:19 PM
I played a MUD a lot too in the past and got mob from there, and might have used it in this or the other forum. quicker to type mob than NPC (due to capitalization and letters place on the keyboard).

'mobile' being better than 'monster' because, well, I wouldn't call the tiny girl a monster. NPC is probably a slightly bit better, because not all of them are 'mobile' anyway. Dying sage really isn't. Few others only move when provoked.

On a side note, just bought a new laptop two days ago. After a bit of deliberation it came down to two models. But then I had an easy choice. (obviously went for the one with the numpad)

Exy
07-09-2011, 02:33 AM
I wouldn't call the tiny girl a monster.
She's killed more of my characters than any other NPC in the game.

Maul
07-09-2011, 08:35 AM
Don't listen to any of them, Soirana really is a Hot Chick. ;)

I see what you did there.;)


I played a MUD a lot too in the past and got mob from there, and might have used it in this or the other forum. quicker to type mob than NPC (due to capitalization and letters place on the keyboard).

I think mob(s) for monsters in the world of RPGs is pretty common.

reknorak
11-01-2011, 05:44 AM
Just made an account to chime in, MOB actually stands for "Monster or Beast" heard this being thrown around in the early MMO days, more than likely from MUD's or ADD though.

meekrab
11-08-2011, 02:11 AM
Just made an account to chime in, MOB actually stands for "Monster or Beast" heard this being thrown around in the early MMO days, more than likely from MUD's or ADD though.
It actually is short for 'mobile', the term comes from MUD1 way back in the late 70s.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mob_(computer_gaming)

Page2000
11-15-2011, 11:42 AM
Monster or Beast? Like for real?
What's the difference anyway?

gut
11-16-2011, 10:20 AM
I... I... I am just going to ask. Are you a spambot?
I assume Grey decided you weren't, else you would be banned by now. Your detailed
answer for 'favorite adom class' indicates you are not, but with the bots these days...

Laukku
11-16-2011, 11:59 AM
Considering he has an advertisement in his signature, I'd say he's a bot. On the other hand, that web page says the product is free... Well, if it's a bot, it won't answer.

Grey
11-16-2011, 12:47 PM
I... I... I am just going to ask. Are you a spambot?
I assume Grey decided you weren't, else you would be banned by now. Your detailed
answer for 'favorite adom class' indicates you are not, but with the bots these days...

I first deleted the post, went to delete the member and saw he'd actually answered the test question with something reasonable, went back and looked at the post and realised it was actually relevant to the thread (referring to an earlier post). It could be a new breed of very clever bot, but ignoring the sig link he's seems perfectly legit.

_Ln_
11-16-2011, 04:40 PM
Well, gut and Grey, you both have links in their signatures ;)

Maybe he's the guy who actually works on this player - then it's natural to advertise it whenever you go.

gut
11-17-2011, 05:38 AM
I now hope this is a bot... and STILL replies. How cool would that be?

"Heheh, you wouldn't believe how often this comes up in my journey across the internet. Anyway, goodbye for now guys, take care."

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _______

Another cool website.
http://www.insectrapeizcool.com

grobblewobble
11-17-2011, 11:21 AM
Human or spambot? Like for real?
What is the difference anyway?

http://dontclick.it/