MarioWiki:Glossary

The glossary is a list of gaming, computing, and wiki terms used on the Super Mario Wiki. While some entries in this list link to mainspace subjects, this page does not include definitions for fictional characters, living people, events, places, or things within the Mario franchise or relating to it in the real world.

A

Action Replay

A device that allows players to cheat in a game by accessing the game's code.

Administrators (admins)

Users who are given deletion, blocking, rollbacking, CheckUser, protection, and patrolling rights.

AI (artificial intelligence)

Usually refers to opponents programmed by the game. Sometimes referred to as "computers," "computer players," or "CPUs."

Anonymous users (anons)

Users who edit the wiki without creating an account. Their contributions are attributed to their IP addresses themselves, rather than unique usernames.

Athletic level

A level type that typically requires large amounts of jumping across small platforms at a high altitude. In the Mario franchise, this typically involves platforms such as trees, bridges, or tall mushrooms.

Autoconfirmed users

Users who have had an account on the MarioWiki for at least one week and have made at least ten edits to the database.

Automatic level

In Mario games, an automatic level is a level that can be successfully completed without any input from the player. Although this type of level mainly appears in ROM hacks and Super Mario Maker user levels, some of Super Mario Maker's pre-built courses are designed in this fashion.

Autopatrolled users

Former admins and trusted users whose edits are automatically verified by the software. Their edits are not flagged and do not require being manually patrolled by the administrators.

Auto-scrolling level

In Mario games, a level where the screen scrolls automatically regardless of the player's input or position on the screen.

Avatar

A design that users use to represent themselves online. On forums, avatars are simply the pictures or icons that users display on their profiles.

B

Bad jokes and other deleted nonsense (BJAODN)

An archive created as a way of storing vandalism and poor writing that users consider to be humorous.

Beta

A pre-release form of a video game. Games in the beta phase are mostly complete but have yet to be extensively tested for bugs/glitches.

See also: MarioWiki:Good writing § Frequently misused terms

BGM

Abbreviation for "background music."

Binary

A system of numerical notation to the base 2, in which each place of a number, expressed as 0 or 1, corresponds to a power of 2. The decimal number 58 appears as 111010 in binary notation, since 58 = 1 × 32 + 1 × 16 + 1 × 8 + 0 × 4 + 1 × 2 + 0 × 1.

Bit

The unit of information; the amount of information obtained by asking a yes-or-no question; a computational quantity that can take on one of two values, such as false and true or 0 and 1; the smallest unit of storage – sufficient to hold one bit.

Bitmap (BMP)

A picture created on a visual display unit where each pixel corresponds to one or more bits in memory, the number of bits per pixel determining the number of available colors.

Block

A restriction imposed upon a sockpuppet or severely misbehaving user by an administrator that prevents them from editing the database.

Board

A page on a forum that groups together different threads that fit in the same category. For example, the Wiki Collaborations board is where users can discuss projects related to the wiki. Boards may be sub-divided into more specific "child boards."

Body paragraphs

The main text of an article, as opposed to lists of trivia points, compilations of stats and biographies, etc.

Bootleg

Something, as a recording, made, reproduced, or sold illegally or without authorization. Also see "Knockoff."

Bots

Users that are run by automated scripts and/or programs to carry out mundane and repetitive tasks. This can also refer to computer-controlled players in games.

Bug

An unwanted and unintended property of a program or piece of hardware, especially one that causes it to malfunction. E.g., "There's a bug in the editor: It writes things out backward." The identification and removal of bugs in a program is called "debugging."

Bureaucrats

Administrators that have user-renaming rights, as well as their usual administrative rights.

Byte

Adjacent bits, usually eight, processed by a computer as a unit. Larger units are called kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, terabytes, etc.

C

Cache

A small fast memory holding recently accessed data, designed to speed up subsequent access to the same data. Most often applied to processor-memory access but also used for a local copy of data accessible over a network, etc.

Cameo

A brief appearance of a character, species, or item in a medium (a game, movie, comic, etc.) other than the one it originated in. The cameo is of no lasting importance to the subject or the medium in which it appears.

Canon

A system of classification that separates official media products from unofficial media products and official but disowned works, therefore determining which characters, locations, events, etc. "actually" exist in a series' fictional universe.

Conjecture

An unofficial name for something.

Cookie

A piece of data downloaded to a computer by a website, containing details of the preferences of that computer's user, which identifies the user when revisiting that website.

Cover version (often shortened to "cover")

A type of music that is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song, usually by someone other than the original artist. Not to be confused with "remix."

CPU (central processing unit)

Refers to a computerized player or opponent in a game. Also known as AI (artificial intelligence) or COM (computer).

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)

An extension to HTML to allow styles (e.g., color, font, and size) to be specified for certain elements of a hypertext document. Style information can be included in-line in the HTML file or in a separate CSS file (which can then be easily shared by multiple HTML files). Multiple levels of CSS can be used to allow selective overriding of styles.

D

Dynamic Page List (DPL)

A MediaWiki extension that allows a user to generate a list of articles that meet certain specified criteria. DPL is no longer used on the Super Mario Wiki.

DYK

Short for "Did You Know?"

E

Easter egg

A message hidden in the object code of a program as a joke, intended to be found by persons disassembling or browsing the code.

Edit conflict

The act of two or more users attempting to edit the same page or page section at the same time. After one user saves his/her changes, the rest get edit conflicts. Their changes are not saved; instead, the new version of the page is provided for them to re-edit. A textbox with the version of the page they were going to submit is also presented to them, and the difference between the two is shown.

Edit war

The act of two or more users persistently reverting each other's edits. Edit warring is a warnable offense.

Emulator

A software used to run a game in clearer resolution than on its native console. Emulators are used to take PNG screenshots of game elements.

F

Featured article (FA)

An article that represents the best that the Super Mario Wiki has to offer.

Filler character

A conjectural term used for a character that was created to fill a void. For example, Waluigi is the opposite to Luigi as Wario is to Mario.

Forum

A website where users can discuss just about anything. The MarioWiki has a forum called the Super Mario Boards.

Fourth wall

"Breaking the fourth wall" is when a video game character happens to notice that he or she is in a video game, or when he or she refers directly to the player.

G

GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)

A standard compressed file format used for pictures. This format allows graphic movements through a sequence of images.

Glitch

A programming error in a video game that results in unintended behavior, ranging from characters falling through solid objects or otherwise defying proper gameplay, to game freezes and the corruption or loss of saved data.

GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)

The time zone corresponding to the Prime Meridian, which passes through the Greenwich district of London in the United Kingdom. It is equivalent to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), from which all other time zones are offset. Proposals follow GMT time.

H

Hexadecimal (Hex)

A numbering system that uses 16 as the radix, employing the numerals 0 through 9 and representing digits greater than 9 with the letters A through F.

HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)

A set of standards used to tag elements of a hypertext document (such as this wiki). It is regularly used for displaying pages and formatting in the World Wide Web.

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)

The standard protocol for transferring hypertext documents on the World Wide Web. Compare HTML.

I

IP (Internet Protocol) address

A code used to label packets of data sent across the internet, identifying both the sending and the receiving computers. Admins can check users and find matching IP addresses, in order to track down sockpuppets.

J

JPEG or JPG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)

A standard file format for compressing pictures by disposing of redundant pixels.

K

Knockoff

Colloquial for "counterfeit consumer goods." These are goods that infringe the rights of a copyright holder by making a product similar or identical to the original one. Also see "Bootleg."

L

Level

One of many discrete segments in a platformer game.

Life

In some platformer games, there is a certain number of lives that the player has. He or she can lose them by being hit by enemies too much or gain them by finding extra lives. If the player loses all of his or her lives, a Game Over ensues.

Log

A record of the activity of some system, often stored in a particular file. Public logs for the Super Mario Wiki can be seen here.

M

Map

A visual representation of an area, whether in a game or otherwise.

Marioverse

An informal term used by fans to describe the entirety of the Mario franchise, often from an in-universe perspective.

Merge

To combine the information from two or more articles into a single page. This happens when it is decided that the two subjects are similar enough to be considered the same thing, or when one of the merged subjects was determined to be undeserving of its own article.

Minor edit

An edit that doesn't really change the content of a page but rather fixes small details or mistakes and other such maintenance work.

Move

To rename an article by putting it on a new webpage. This can happen when subjects are renamed over the course of the Mario series itself, or when a more appropriate and/or useful name is discovered, revealed, or suggested.

N

Newbie (also known as noob or n00b)

A newcomer or novice, especially an inexperienced user of the Internet or of computers in general.

NIWA (Nintendo Independent Wiki Alliance)

A network of independent wikis striving to chronicle the many diverse video game universes created by Nintendo.

NPC

Abbreviation for "non-playable character." Refers to any character in a video game that cannot be used by the player. Some examples are Bowser and Princess Toadstool in Super Mario Bros.

NSFW

Abbreviation for "Not Safe for Work." It usually refers to something with swearing, gore, sexual references, drugs, nudity, etc.

NTSC (National Television System Committee)

On this wiki, the abbreviation denotes generally the North and South American versions of games for the NES, SNES, N64, GameCube, or Wii but can also include South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan. These versions come into play mainly for region locking, although minor gameplay and localization differences may exist between NTSC and PAL, its European/Australian counterpart, versions. Two sub-abbreviations exist, NTSC-U and NTSC-J, which denote only the American/Canadian versions or the Japanese versions, respectively.

P

PAL (Phase Alternating Line)

On this wiki, the abbreviation denotes generally the European and Australian version of games for the NES, SNES, N64, GameCube, or Wii. These versions come into play mainly for region locking, although minor gameplay and localization differences may exist between PAL and NTSC, its American counterpart, versions.

Patrollers

Users who are given blocking, rollbacking, patrolling, and CheckUser rights.

Per

Used before a username/a group of users (i.e., "Per X" or "Per all") to indicate that the person agrees with that/those user(s). Used in voting for Featured Articles, Proposals, etc. Etymologically, "per" is Latin for "through," so literally, the voter is expressing their opinion through the other user(s).

Piped link (also known as piping)

A wiki link where the displayed text is different from the article it leads to. Example: [[Mario (franchise)|Mario]] shows up as Mario but actually links to the Mario (franchise) page.

PipeProjects

Projects to improve the wiki or certain aspects of it; users can add their usernames to the Pipe Project if they believe they can help. PipeProjects are no longer used on the Super Mario Wiki. Instead, we have the Wiki Collaborations forum board.

Plagiarism

The copying of another person's work without giving any credit to the original author. This also includes altering the text (such as making the switch from active to passive, e.g., "Mario stomped on the Goomba" to "The Goomba was stomped by Mario.").

Playable character or player character

A character that is able to be controlled by the player, the extent and role of which vary from game to game.

Player

The person playing a video game.

PNG (Portable Network Graphics)

An extensible file format for the lossless, portable, well-compressed storage of raster images.

Point of no return

A point near the end of a game where the player becomes unable to access other areas and is committed to finishing the game. For example, in Luigi's Mansion 3, after the player goes through the door in the back of the Main Observation Room, the rest of The Last Resort becomes inaccessible and the player's only option is to climb to the Rooftop and face King Boo.

Port

A game that was originally released on previous consoles or handhelds that is transferred to a different console or handheld with little to no changes regarding gameplay.

Prequel

A work of fiction (book, game, etc.) whose narrative is chronologically set before another, previously released work. Note that when a sequel chronologically set after an existing work is written, the original piece does not become a "prequel" to the later one but is merely its predecessor.

See also: MarioWiki:Good writing § Frequently misused terms

Proposal

The formal suggestion of an idea that is major enough to require the input of various users, who then vote to determine if the suggested changes will or will not be enacted.

R

RAM (random-access memory)

The main memory of a computer, in which data can be stored or retrieved from all locations at the same (usually very high) speed.

Recovery

The act of regaining one's health, usually through restorative items, such as coins or Mushrooms. Alternate methods include visiting Toad Houses or Inns. In the Super Smash Bros. games, the term refers to either reducing one's damage percentage or returning to the stage after being attacked or falling.

Redirect

A page that is created with the purpose of leading users that search for the page to another page with a similar name.

Remix

A type of music that recombines audio pieces from a recording to create an altered version of the song. Not to be confused with "cover version."

ROM (read-only memory)

Computer memory in which program instructions, operating procedures, or other data are permanently stored, generally on electronic chips during manufacture, and that ordinarily cannot be changed by the user.

RPG

Short for "role-playing game." Some examples are Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and Paper Mario.

Rubber band AI

A type of feature in racing games that prevents human players from getting too far ahead of CPU players, usually by enhancing the CPUs' abilities and/or limiting the human players' abilities.

S

Saving

The recording of a player's progress in a video game. In Mario games, this is usually done either automatically or at a specified save point (such as a Save Block or the end of a fortress, tower, or castle).

Self-destruct (or SD)

The act of knocking oneself out in a Super Smash Bros. game or defeating a teammate. A common example is missing a jump from one platform to the next and falling into the bottomless pit.

Sequel

A work of fiction (book, game, etc.) that continues the story or otherwise builds upon a previously released work. All installations within a series are considered sequels of the works that preceded them. Note that if a prequel is written for an existing work, the original piece does not retroactively become a "sequel," like how an earlier work is not a "prequel" to any sequels released after it.

Server

A program that provides some service to other (client) programs. The connection between client and server is normally by means of message passing, often over a network, and uses some protocol to encode the client's requests and the server's responses.

SFX

Abbreviation for "sound effects."

Side-scroller

A linear type of level that is shown from a perspective where the directions forward and backward are represented as left and right.

Signature (sig)

A user's name or a design that includes the name, which users put below or after their comments on talk pages to show that they were the one who wrote said comment. On forums, signatures are the text or words that appear beneath every one of a user's posts.

The 'Shroom

The Super Mario Wiki monthly newspaper.

Skybox

A way of creating backgrounds to make a video game level seem bigger than it actually is.

Sockpuppet or sock puppet

An extra online identity created by a member of a discussion forum, etc., to agree with opinions submitted under his or her usual online name, or to evade a block or ban imposed upon the original user.

SPAM

Short for "Stupid Pointless and Annoying Message." It is a form of vandalism.

Spin-off or spinoff

A game that has other gameplay types rather than the usual gameplay type it has (e.g., Mario Tennis and Mario Kart).

Split

When some information is taken out of one article and used to create another article on a subject that is now considered to be separate from the first, or otherwise deserving of its own unique article.

Stub

An article that lacks sufficient information. A list of stub articles can be seen here.

Super Mario Boards

A forum where users can discuss just about anything, although much of the content is focused on the Marioverse. There are also boards to discuss wiki-related matters, such as the Wiki Collaborations board.

SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics)

A file type that, unlike raster formats (PNG, JPEG, GIF), is comprised of vectors (shapes) rather than pixels. This means that the image retains the same quality for any size, even when displayed many times greater than the original size.

Sysops (system operators)

Another name for administrators.

T

Template

An electronic file with a predesigned, customized format and structure, as for a fax, letter, or expense report, ready to be filled in. Templates must be added with {{Template Name}}.

Thread

A topic on a forum.

TOC

Short for "Table of Contents."

Troll

In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking other users into a desired emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.

Talk page proposal (TPP)

Like a proposal, but since its outcome should affect only one or two articles (typically involving splitting or merging), it is held on one of those articles' talk pages, rather than the main proposal page.

Trivia

Miscellaneous points of information that are ideally incorporated into the body paragraphs of articles, yet which are often given their own section on an article.

U

Unlockable

Pertaining to a character, gameplay mode, item, or other element of a video game that can be accessed only after the player completes a certain task in the game.

Userbox

A box that users are free to create and use to describe their likes, dislikes, favorites, and other pieces of information about themselves.

Userbox tower

A user's unique tower of userboxes. Starts with the {{userboxtop}} template and ends with the {{userboxbottom}} template, with userboxes in between.

Userspace

Anything that belongs to a user, such as their signature, certain sub-pages, talk pages, and the user page itself.

V

Vandalism

Any addition, deletion, or altering of content intended for the sole purpose of disrupting the peace of the wiki.

Vaporware

A term for games that did start development but were never actually published.

W

Wiki

Software that allows users to create, edit, and link webpages easily. Wikis are often used to create collaborative websites and to power community websites.

Wiki staff

Umbrella term for the wiki patrollers, administrators, bureaucrats, and proprietor who all help to run the Super Mario Wiki.

Wiki Collaborations

A forum board where wiki editors can collaborate on projects and discuss wiki matters.

World Wide Web (www)

The complete set of electronic documents stored on computers that are connected over the Internet and are made available by the protocol known as HTTP. The World Wide Web makes up a large part of the Internet.