I remember a while ago, I think perhaps in a quick look, Brad was asking if we've reached the age where "crit" and "proc" can be used as common video game terms.
Ever since then, I've noticed he seems to be using both of them a lot more liberally in videos and whatnot.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not a hater... I love Brad, but the term "proc" has always confused me.
I've always understood "crit" without any problems, because it just immediately makes sense, and evokes the word "critical"... but unlike "crit", "proc" is not actually short for anything. It's just a pretty obscure acronym, and I always forget what it stands for, because the thing that it stands for doesn't make much sense, and isn't easy to remember in itself.

I guess it's not a big deal, since I still understand what it means, it's just mildly annoying, because someone could just as easily say "the ability will pop" instead of "the ability will proc"
It seems like it's just unnecessarily complicating things.

Thoughts?

I've literally never heard that term ever.

I believe it means Programmed Random OCcurrence.

I'm quite happy with it being ingrained in video game language, personally, but I've also used the term for a long time anyway.

EDIT: Looking at the wiki description, it's different to what I thought it to be, but it still pretty much means the same thing either way, so I'll just stick with what I know. Also, I think the version I'm familiar with is a lot more clear regarding what it actually is.

I have no issues with it but it was a really common term especially in older mmo's. Proc was usually an effect on hit BUT there wasn't a 100% chance. To a lot of players it's a bit different than saying you have an effect on hit or an ability popping... It's a random chance on hit term.

I dunno Mike, proc makes more sense to me than pop.

It is?

One of those WoW terms, like mobs, that managed to work their way into gaming vocabulary through its sheer popularity.

The thing its, the way you're using the word is not it's original purpose. The verb "to proc" is just an extension of the noun "a proc", which describes something that has a chance to happen on a trigger. So sure, you could use a different verb to describe the event like "it popped the proc", but as long as the noun remains relevant it makes more sense to just say "it proced" (in the same way it makes more sense to say "it crit" rather than "it popped a critical hit"). Replacing the noun itself with "a pop" would only confuse the issue or make it way more convoluted to explain.

So there's my grammar naziing for the day :P

proc is processor to me so i have NO idea what you guys are talkin bout

I'd put proc on the same level as 'debuff' or 'status effect' so yeah, I personally think it is.

Yeah, I mainly know it as a WoW-term.

It's a super common term in the dota community (also Diablo), where a bunch of stuff that isn't guaranteed to hit but can make a big difference to the outcome of a fight if it "procs".

That's where he has got it from. I'm not against the term, I guess I've become used to it from watching a lot of competitive dota.

I agree it is a term that gets thrown around a fair bit that actually needs some explaining.

Everyone keeps saying WoW but I remember it as early as 1999 with Everquest. I'm sure its older. Hey the screenshot is even an EQ weapon :P.

@veektarius: I still don't know anybody who says "proc" except people who played WoW. That and "mats", which seems like such an unnecessary abbreviation. I question whether it is actually part of mainstream gamer lingo.

This is literally the first time I've heard "proc." I'm guessing it's exclusively an MMO term, since I've heard the terms you've used in RPGs.

Its older than WoW. The idea is that randomly events like buffs and debufs happen in combat which is more than just "critical damage". An attack can randomly "proc a slow" which doesn't mean the player is doing more damage but that the target is crippled giving the player a bonus but uncontrolled way.

MMOs and ARPGs, or any game that gives you items that contain the description 'has a chance to...', which might include some standard RPGs. I'm sure other game genres have incorporated proc-like features into skills, weapons and items. None come to mind right now, though.

@bisonhero: It's not something that people often need to describe.

@cale:

Yea, I know the concept itself is prevalent. It's just one of those weird cases where this is the first time I've seen the term applied to it.

Indeed, that's where I first heard it.

It's an old MMO term for a skill or effect triggering.

It's now used a lot in DOTA so that's why Brad's probably using it more.

People who frequent this site yet this is the first they hear of a common gaming vocabulary like "proc" blows my mind. No for reals reals.

People with thousands of posts on a gaming forum don't know what a proc is.

Holy shit.

I think you put the wrong word in quotes here.

I play league and I hear and say proc a lot. Never heard anyone be confused by it at all. Puzzling thing to even bring up.

I guess it's one of those things. Like I'm pretty sure anyone who doesn't play fighting games extensively doesn't know what a "link" is. Then again, proc is a more ubiquitous term. I've certainly used it and heard it used when talking about a variety of RPG's outside of the MMO variety.

A key thing about Procs is that unlike "Critical Damage" which maybe effected by equipment, stats, and bufs/debufs, a "proc" is often independent. A sword will proc the slow debuf once every 30 seconds where it doesn't matter the level of the player, the target, or any stats. This is desirable because designers can make fun but strong effects that are harder to abuse: A Level 1 player with that sword will proc the slow debuf once every 30 seconds. A Level 100 player with the sword will proc the slow debuf once every 30 seconds. What a Level 1 and Level 100 are attacking maybe wildly different but "proc" is useful to both.

the first thing that pops into my head for proc would be short for procedurally generated...but i guess id be wrong

Some of those are common: crits, mobs, debuffs, aggro, aoe, kiting, farming, pushing etc, but I've literally NEVER heard proc!

I think I'd probably say random chance or random trigger, like in Dota 2 I'd just name the skill: Axe's chance to spin or Chaos Knight's chance to crit. Even if it was an item in Dota 2, "I'm gonna buy an item with a chance to slow". Proc sounds dumb and too vague.

Maybe its an American thing...

Proc is a MUD term, it's short for procedure, which is a bit of code that executes in some computer languages. Everquest was basically a graphical shell on top of a MUD, so a lot of slang carried on from there and continued on to other MMOs.

I definitely remember hearing terms such as "proc" and "mob" as early as 1993, because that's the year my school got the internet and almost destroyed my college career with MUD's and Usenet :)

Oh yeah, it totally is.

Perhaps I should have clarified that it's ingrained in video game language, in regards to the genres it's used in conjuction with - as others have said, mainly RPGs and MMOs

Really though, all genres have various kinds of special lingo that only apply to that particular style of game. I'm just really struggling to come up with any off the top of my head at this very moment. MMOs are where most of that stuff happens though, since the social aspects make it very easy to pass it around.

Circle strafing? Rocket jump? That Counter Strike trick where you run faster while holding a knife (because video games have never understood how mass works)?

Yeah alright, I'll take those!

I'm willing to bet there's a metric shit-ton of special wanky words in the fighting game community too

That may certainly be where it came from, but I think it's gone waaay beyond just simply being a shortened 'procedure' - That could mean pretty much anything. Minecraft seeds don't proc in spite of procedure being involved, for example.

Edit: I realise there's a degree of splitting hairs here, but there's a definite distinction, in spite of how fine it may be.

If I had to run with a knife in my hand and an assault rifle strapped on my back vs. the assault rifle in my hand and the knife sheathed, I'd run faster in that first scenario. It's not about overall carry mass but about the size and weight of the thing in your hand affecting your normal running body motion dynamic and balance. If we want to be anal about game realism that is.

@tennmuerti:

I've never really felt that in games, though. It feels less like you're running faster because of less clutter, and more because you're running faster because the mass has almost literally disappeared. This is the type of thing I want the Mythbusters to tackle, along with......there aren't a ton of video game myths, are there?

I actually really like proc, it's a word that unambiguously describes a game mechanic that could be sort-of hard to articulate otherwise. Like, if you said, "this sword has a really cool fire effect, but it only procs 5% of the time". Sure, you could probably substitute "activates" or "triggers" for "procs" in that sentence, but I like that it has a very specific meaning of a random number generator hitting the correct value and some special effect happening.

It's a very common term in many RPGs; I'm honestly surprised so many people in this thread have never heard it before.

The fighting game community has tons of confusing lingo. I needed a glossary for a while just to read guides about the games.

Gaming in general has confusing terminology. I'm even considering writing a blog about it. (Like, just now, over the past day or two. So nothing too concrete as of now.)

@video_game_king: I feel like fighting games have more unique terminology than most genres. Things like proc, circle strafing, kiting and so on show up in a variety of genres but I feel like most fighting game terminology never shows up in other games.

I was playing against a shoto and we were going at the footsies real hard and then he opened me up with a raw DP and I was gonna option select my wakeup but I missed the plink and he went for a sick fake-crossup mixup and then I got bodied so hard that I am still salty to this very moment.

Also people interchangably using light punch/jab, heavy punch/fierce, heavy kick/roundhouse, sometimes even in the same sentence! Always a fun time to explain that to new people.

It gets even worse if you start going at it with Yipes-inspired Marvel lingo.

I will admit it is fun to talk like that though.

Meaty. Okizeme.

for me "proc" is easier to say than 30% chance to cast a fireball that orbits you for 10 seconds and has the ability to stack up to 3 times.

@hungry: I feel like you should have worked in "frame traps" somewhere in there.

Fuck.

Depends on the situation, but for a dota 2 example, I would rather say "mjolnir proc'd" than "mjolnir did the lightning thing".

Yup, I too remember both terms appearing in MUDs. I think every single MUD used the term mob for enemies, though the usage of proc was not quite as common, even though it was used in some MUDs.

I have never heard the term "proc" and it sounds pretty dumb.

But then, I would never use term "crit" except ironically anyway. Perhaps this is why I don't play MMO's.