AFK — Stands for “away from keyboard” and is used when a user steps away, like “BRB” (be right back).

Avatar — What a user's controlled character looks like in the world. You can customize them with features, props, clothes, and more.

Beta — will often be used in reference to still-being-developed features or applications.

Bots — Avatars that aren’t controlled by humans, but are instead controlled by a computer.

Client — refers to the specific installation of an application on a user’s computer. Compared to Server.

Clipping — refers to when different models or parts of models have visible overlap or intersection, where they appear embedded into each other rather than resting against each other

Collision — refers to when things are not able to pass through each other or have notable physical impacts or resistance to each other. For example, you can usually pass through other avatars for ease of movement, but you can’t pass through the walls that have collision.

Crashed — refers to when the application stops working and closes on its own.

Cross-platform — For our app, refers to how macOS and Windows users can see and interact with each other in the same world.

DC/dc’ed — shorthand for “disconnected”, when you lost network connectivity in general, or to the application’s servers.

Directional Audio — refers to how, like in real life, you can tell which direction a sound is coming from. Our app, especially in conjunction with earbuds and headphones, can allow you to hear where another user is compared to your avatar.

Field of view (FOV) — how much of the world is visible from your app’s “camera angle”.

First-person perspective — when your viewpoint in the application is placed in such a way that it’s like you’re looking through your avatar’s eyes.

FPS — Stands for “frames per second”. An indication of how smoothly the game is running. Think of it like old-school cartoon animation frame by frame. The more frames you have, the smoother your game will appear, though a higher setting will require more processing power and output from your computer.

Framerate — Frames per second, how “smooth” movements and updates are rendered on your screen.

Froze/freeze — when your application stops responding, either temporarily or until you force it to close/restart

Glitch — When a user exploits or experiences a bug (or glitch) in a virtual world, like running through walls.

Hard Cap — Set in Stone/Unmovable [Limit, Level, Date, Time, etc]
Example: The Hard Cap is set to 100 Users at a time, but we recommend 60 for better performance.

HUD — elements on-screen that convey information, separate from the 3D models in the environment.

IRL — “In Real Life”, referring to something outside of the application, real-world things.

ISP — Internet Service Provider, the companies that provide you with internet access.

Lag — When there’s a delay between a user's action and on-screen activity, similar to when Zoom freezes up during a call. Most often in Virbela, this is illustrated by their avatar appearing to walk very slowly.

Launcher — An application computers use to launch one or more applications, rather than launching the application directly. This is useful when a parent company has several different applications a user can pick between.

Local — Will refer to things that are “client-side”, on the user’s side, such as their own personal wifi, computer, or their specifically installed application, as opposed to things that are happening on a large scale, such as ISP network outages, server outages, or problems with every person’s application.

Localization — Refers to specific elements in the application that may be different depending on your language settings or geographical region; mostly will be encompassed by text being translated.

Model — In applications, often refers to the 3D design of any given “thing” or person. Avatars have models, buildings have models, etc.

Patcher — often part of a launcher, ensures the application is updated so that your application has all of the newest available features before launching the full application. 

Rubber-Banding — This can coincide with “lag”, which refers to when yourself or other avatars “glide” or “slide” in a quick and unexpected way, with the server or your app catching up on previous movements of other avatars.

Scene — Not all “rooms” are loaded at once in all applications. To save resources and maintain stability, many places are isolated “scenes” that are rendered separately from other spaces, such as an Auditorium that needs to be entered/exited via a door you can’t see through (or via teleports).

Server — refers to the computers used in order to fulfill a function for users and client applications.

Spawn — Term used to describe an avatar appearing in the world.

Spawn Point — Term used to describe where an avatar spawns.

Social Engineering — A deceptive tactic used by predators to appear as though they are genuinely curious, polite or kind so as to gain access to locations they shouldn’t be allowed in or to gain the information they shouldn’t have. Often employed by trolls who seek to perform identity theft.

Soft Cap — Estimated and changeable [Limit, Level, Date, Time, etc]
Example: Soft Cap maximum concurrent users is 60 but the hard cap is coded at 80.

Stream — a video that is being live-broadcasted so that all viewers are seeing the same content at (approximately) the same time. Like how Live News segments will be transmitted from a reporter in the field to the anchors back at the studio.

Teleport — Unlike in the real world, in Virbela you can instantly move to different scenes by using the Go-To menu.

Third person perspective — when your camera in the application is hovering above/behind your avatar, so that you see what’s around them, not only what “their eyes” would see.

Troll — someone who is intentionally causing an experience to be negative, wasting people’s time and resources, or otherwise causing problems.

Twitch — A popular streaming platform. On it, people do all sorts of things live while providing commentary and chatting with fans.

WASD - refers to the W, A, S, and D alphabetical keys on your keyboard. Many applications with moveable avatars allow the WASD keys to be used for movement instead of or in addition to the arrow keys or mouse. Using WASD allows you to also access the Shift and Spacebar keys with your pinkie and thumb, and to more quickly return to your standard “home line” for typing messages.