Welcome to the TEST Star Citizen glossary of terms!
This is a work in progress that will be constantly updated and worked on. Please enjoy either by reading it in order or by pressing CTRL and F and using your browsers text-search to look for a term you may want to know the meaning to, for example "Beer". If what you are looking for is not here, please leave a request in this thread and we'll get right on it :)
---
Alpha - Development term to denote the phase in building a game or software where it functions, but not all of the mechanics and abilities are as yet built in to it.
Area18 - Primary landing zone on the planet ArcCorp in Stanton system
Arena Commander / AC - An arcade style mini-level Player Vs Player spaceship combat section of Star Citizen separate from the first person universe section. AC was the first playable segment of Star Citizen to be made for backers to play and test, it has now been placed in lore as a popular in 'Verse computer game with a big following.
Backer - A player who has pledged to own a copy of the game or another asset from the Pledge Store. A player who has received only gifts can own the game and other assets without having backed. Almost all players are backers.
BDSSE - "Best Damn Space Sim Ever". Term used by development team to express their desire to make an innovative and quality game.
Beer - Alcoholic beverage which could be regarded as TESTie fuel. There are a few beer brands in the 'Verse, however no mechanic to get drunk as yet.
Beta - Development term to denote the phase in building a game or software where it functions and has most if not all of the mechanics and abilities built in to it. At Beta a lot of tests occur which attempt to balance out the various components of the game and locate and fix as many bugs as possible before release to the general public.
Big Bennys - In game Noodle Company.
Buff - General term for where a ship or other piece of equipment has it's qualities strengthened or otherwise improved. The reverse of 'Nerf'.
Bug - A general term for a glitch in software that can cause a function to work in an unexpected way or not work at all.
BUK - "Battlefield Upgrade Kit". Previously a BUK was a method of swapping the version of the Vanguard Heavy Fighter a player was flying quickly and easily without having to buy a whole new version of the same ship. With the changing nature of game development, this concept was abandoned in favour of BUKs being component packs with a central modular "room" section that can be swapped. As the original intention for BUKs is no longer valid, they are no longer offered in the Pledge Store and are a rarity valued by some backers.
Buyback List - Commonly referred to as "buyback", it is a list in your account of any pledge you have melted. Many have the option to buy back with fresh funds or store credit. Some backers use this as a storage area for limited availability ships so they have the option to reclaim them as and when they want them. The option to buy back with credit is limited to once every quarter.
Buyback Token - a token to repurchase a melted ship with store credit. Only one is active every quarter and you can not stockpile them, they are use it or lose it tokens. Usually distributed the first week or two of the quarter.
CCU - "Cross Chassis Upgrade". For use in the Star Citizen Pledge Store, you can upgrade any ship you own to another ship, rather than having to get the new ship outright. An attractive feature of this is the Insurance of the initial ship is usually retained when performing a CCU to allow LTI on ships no longer available with this option. There have been some exceptions where CCU's have been able for a limited time to upgrade not only the ship, but also the insurance level of the ship. (Example Aurora MR to Mantis LTI)
Cellin - A moon of the gas giant planet Crusader in the Stanton System
CIG - "Cloud Imperium Games", the name of the company making Star Citizen and Squadron 42.
Concept Sale - When a ship is first raised for sale, it is generally at the "concept" stage and is not yet built or in the game. Pledging on a ship at the concept stage has two major bonuses and one disadvantage. Bonus 1) is that the ship is the cheapest it will ever be so you get a better deal, Bonus 2) is at this stage it comes with Life Time Insurance (LTI) which will remove one expense of running a ship, but the disadvantage is that being a concept if the realities of including it in the game mean that a feature is not viable, it will change to make it work in the game. A notable example of this was the Drake Herald, which at concept was shaped in a distinct asymmetrical way, but once built and flyable in the game was noticebaly normal.
CrimeStat - A measurement of how unlawful a player or NPC is. This ranges from 0 (a lawful person) to 5 (one of the most wanted people across the 'verse). Crimestat can increase do to an unlawful act like murder, ramming or attacking a lawful player ship and so on. Some actions only trigger a CrimeStat increase if they are done repeatedly, for example a single shot against a lawful ship doesn't trigger it, but a continuous attack does. Attacking a lawforce ship/personal always triggers a CrimeStat increase.
Consierge - Any backer who contributes over $1000 to the development of the game is awarded Consierge status. This bestows a few minor reward items like a top-hat and monocule they can wear in the 'Verse, a Consierge members only forum area and other perks. There are several layers starting from High Admaral at $1000 going all the way to Legatus Navium at $25,000. Many members of Consierge have attained this award unknowingly as the contribution does not have to be made all in one go, some members have been pledging a little over a long time and it just built up. The unofficial motto of the Consierge members is "Why not both?"
Crowd Funder - The model of aquiring funds to make the game. Chris Roberts had attempted to raise funds traditionally, approaching Publisers and other investors to put money in to making the game which they would then recoupe and enjoy the profits from when it went on sale. Unfortunately at the time investors did not believe a Space Game would be very popular. As a last attempt to prove this incorrect, Chris launched a Crowd Funder on website Kickstarter, intending to recieve enough to make a demo to get further traditional investment. The Kickstarter was wildly successful and the crowdfunder has continued successfully since becoming the largest crowdfuned project in history.
CSU - "Covalex Shipping Hub". A shipping hub orbiting around the moon of Daymar. This hub is abandon due to a catastrophic explosion that killed all the workers in it, and heavily damage the station.
Daymar - Moon of the planet Crusader in the Stanton System
Delamar - A planet belonging in the Nyx system, currently in the game in the Stanton system for testing purposes. Contains the major outpost Levski.
Evocati - Also known as "Avacados", this is a group of players who have been invited by the game makers to help test builds of the Persistent Universe before they go live to the backers. Although this sounds awesome, testing games can be repetitive and laborious and not much fun at all.
Gimbal Mount - An item that allow you have a single gimbal weapon on a ship hardpoint. The mount has to be of the same size of the hardpoint and allows you to mount a single weapon of one size smaller than the hardpoint (example: an S3 hardpoint can mount a S3 gimbal mount that allows you to equip an S2 weapon). S1 gimbal mounts are an exception to this and will allow you to mount an S1 weapon on an S1 gimbal weapon harpoint.
Glorious Leader - Another name for Montoya, the leader of Test Squadron. All should pay homage to him and provide offerings of beer. Infrequently known as "Glowing Leader" when the light falls on his head just right.
GX - "Grim Hex". An abandoned trading station and mining residential complex, the name taken from it's original designation of "GReen IMperial Housing EXtention", which has been taken over by pirates/non legal traders. Built into a hollowed asteroid, GX is orbiting around the moon of Yela hidden in the asteroid belt round that moon.
HUD - "Heads Up Display". The information display projected on to the ship canopy showing things like fuel level, speed, and icons such as landing gear status.
He Who Shall Not Be Named - A rival game developer and long time detractor of Star Citizen and the crowd funder efforts. Notably blocked on twitter by William Shatner for caustic responses. Will remain nameless.
Hydrogen Fuel - The fuel used in standard space and atmospheric flight.
IAE - "Intergalactic Anniversary Expo". Held once a year around 20th of November and 5th of December. Great chance to buy limited availability ships
IAE Insurance - A 10 year insurance you can get on ships bought during the IAE
IAE Token - Same as LTI token, but instead of LTI it has IAE insurance and the availability is easier to predict
IFCS - "Intelligent Flight Control System". This is the system of physics put in place to make ships work, usually referred to by the people making the game.
Inner Thoughts - The world interaction system accessed by pressing F. This allows a player to interact with buttons, doors, ships controls, items you can pick up and a multitude of other things.
Jump Point - A point in space which when entered accesses a wormhole that takes a ship to another star system. Also the name of the Subscriber Magazine.
Levski - Landing zone on Delamar, a moon sized frozen asteroid. This is a free region base with less control from UEE law.
Limited Availability Ship - Some ships, like the Origin 350R, Vanduul Glave and others are 'limited availability' based on how rare the game makers would like these craft to be in the final game. As such, they are only made available to pledge on infrequently.
LTI - "Life Time Insurance". A perk on some pledge ships when they first go on concept sale. In the game there is a planned mechanic to have insurance on ship so if it is destroyed/lost you can get another one. Insurance should be easily attainable in the game, but if you have LTI you default have it at no cost.
LTI Token - A (often cheap) concept ship sold with LTI, bought with the intention to subsequently either upgrade to the ship you actually wanted or melt and have in your buy back 'just in case'.
MedPen - "Medical Pen". Emergency medical device that can apply rapid treatment to common and severe body injuries. Can be bought at any weapon shop. It is advised anyone who wants to adventure into space carry some on them. They need to be equipped into the dedicated personal inventory slot before use.
Melting - Reclaiming a pledge for store credits. You can reclaim the credit cost of many of the pledges you have made, as store credits to use on new pledges like ships and CCU's.
META / Meta Game - "Most Effective Tactic Available". A general gaming term referring to the setup, tactics or approach in a game that makes a player the strongest/most efficient/most likely to win etc.
Meta Chasing - A general term, usually an accusation, to describe players who actively seek the strongest loadouts, most efficiant tools, and best advatages in a game. It is not always the highest level equipment or stats that in combination with others will become the perferred Meta, and with online games balance is an ongoing concern so Meta generally changes over time, hence Meta chasing.
MFD - "Multi Function Display". Usually spoken about in regards to ships, these are screens you can interact with to show different important information - for example, a screen showing shield status can be changed to show Communications Channels data.
Missile Hardpoint - Similar to weapon hardpoint they range in size from a S1 to a S10. These hardpoints don't allow missiles to mount directly to them, to use a missile hardpoint you need a suitable missile rack of the size of the hardpoint itself.
Missile Rack - Missile racks are equipment that have to be mount on a missile hardpoint to allow missile to be equipped into a ship. Missile racks can mount a single missile of the same size of the hardpoint or more missile of smaller size. Doubling the number of missile on a hardpoint will reduce the size of them by 1, so, for example a S4 missile hardpoint can mount a single S4 missile or 2xS3 missiles or 4x S2 missile or 8xS1 missiles.
Nerf - General term for where a ship or other piece of equipment has it's qualities weakened or otherwise worsened. The reverse of 'Buff'.
OP - "Over Powered". General term for a ship, tactic, or other element of a game that is considered to be much stronger than it should otherwise be.
OxyPen - "Oxygen Pen". An emergency medical device that can restore some of your suite oxygen in an emergency. They can be bought at any weapon shop. It is advised that anyone who wants to adventure into space carry some on them. They need to be equipped in the dedicated personal inventory slot before use.
Physical Game Package - an early award package that promised a physical item to be shipped to you upon release. N.B. If melted, physical packages cannot be unmelted from your buyback list. (See buyback)
Pledge - Funds contributed game development attained by something being bought from the Pledge Store.
Pledge Award - Various items, like ships and other game assets, have a monetary pledge amount attached to them, the item is then awarded as a reward to a backer for making that pledge of funds. Please note that in some jurisdictions, including the US, a pledge is not considered a purchase, and as a result, you lose many customer protections normally available to someone who “purchases” an item.
Pledge Store - The central hub for crowdfunding Star Citizen where backers can pledge on various reward items. Following the successful Kickstarter campaign the pledge store was set up to continue crowdfunding. It has been stated that at the end of Beta, when the game is officially released, the crowd funder will be considered over and the pledge store will be closed.
Port Olisar - A space station owned by the Crusader Corporation. At the moment it is your first spawn point were you enter the game.
PO - "Port Olisar" abbreviation.
PU - "Persistent Universe". This is the Massively Multiplayer Online part of Star Citizen, the PU is the stable release of the game built to this moment and is also known as the "First Person Universe".
PTU - "Persistent Test Universe". This is the test build of the PU and is usually restricted to players invited to help test the game.
Quantum Fuel - Fuel used for high-speed quantum travel between points of interest in space. Ship must have a Quantum Drive to use this, also used to fuel travel through Worm-Hole style Jump Points.
Referral Code - A code issued to a backer, who can provide it while recommending the game to a potential new player. If that new person gets the game and inputs the referral code while perchasing, the new player gets 5,000 United Earth Credits and the original backer gets a reward from the Referral Program based on the amount of successful referrals they have made. *hint* My code is STAR-W5MJ-53Y5 *hint*
Referral Program - A reward system which encourages players to recommend Star Citizen to other potential players. The rewards go from some medals and a ship gun for 1 referral all the way up to an Aegis Javelin warship for 2017 referrals.
Sale (Example: Anniversary Sale) - "Sales" in the Star Citizen ship pledge store are not money saving events as you would expect the word to imply - A Ship sale is generally when Limited Availability Ships that are not on sale all the way through the year are made available to pledge on.
Salt - General term for anger or frustration expressed within the gaming community: "Woah, don't be so salty dude! The Carrak is coming soon™, okay? It's not like you are waiting for the Endeavor, man."
S42 / Squadron 42 - A stand-alone story-lead single player game set in the Star Citizen universe. Currently penciled in for beta release some time in 2020.
SCU - "Standard Cargo Unit". The standard volume measurement for cargo item, 1 SCU is about 1 meter cubed. 1 SCU of cargo can be filled by different material in several different small boxes. Also refered to in the 'Verse as CSCU and cSCU.
Shit Storm - A general term for a mass negative reaction to whatever may have sparked it which escalates beyond all control or rationality.
SPK - "Security Post Kareak". A station orbiting the moon of Cellin, where is possible to hack the security system to have your CrimeStat edited and removed.
Soon™ - A lighthearted phrase spoken ironically or sarcastically by backers awaiting a certain asset or feature to be in the game.
Star Marine - An arcade style mini-level Player Vs Player first person shooter combat section of Star Citizen separate from the first person universe section of Star Citizen. Similar to Arena Commander it is presented to the player as an in universe computer game.
Subject To Change - Because the game is still in the Alpha stage of development, many items, including concept and flight ready ships may have stats and components changed for better balance of game mechanics. This may result in ships getting 'buffed' or 'nerfed'.
Subscriber - A backer who has subscribed to either the Centurion or Imperitor subscriber packages which offer perks including a ship of the month to test fly, a subscriber den including archives of all subscriber information such as the Jump Point magazine and exclusive in-game items such as flair items to decorate your hangar, skins to change the appearance for your equipment, and once, a Noodle Vending Machine.
Tonk - On the release of the Nova Tank concept, a video interview with the development team included a gentleman with a strong accent who pronounced "Tank" as "Tonk", and thus a legend was born.
UEE - "United Earth Empire". The human government which controls much of the known galaxy, providing law and infrastructure over many star systems.
Unmelting - the act of repurchasing a ship from your buyback list. (See buyback, buyback token)
'Verse - The in game area, A shortend form of the word "universe".
VTOL - "Vertical Take Off and Landing". This is a flight term, any ship or vehicle that can take off from the ground from a standing start, and land without moving in any other direction than downward is a VTOL craft. Most VTOL craft are capable of hovering.
Weapon Hardpoint - Almost every ship has some sort of weapon on it, the mounting location for weapons are called hardpoints and range form size 1 (S1) to size 10 (S10) smallest to biggest. On a hardpoint you can mount a single item of the same size, be it a weapon, a turret or a gimbal mount. weapons attached directly to a weapon hardpoint are fixed (not gimbled).
Weapon Size - Every item and ship weapon has a size "S", from S1 to S10 smallest to biggest. Every item can be mounted on a hardpoint or location that has the exact same size. You can't mount an S2 weapon into a S4 mount nor you can mount a S1 cooler to a S2 cooler slot.
Whale - A general term for a player who spends a lot of money on a game.
Yela - Moon of the gas giant planet Crusader in the Stanton System.
