07-30-2004, 10:40 PM
Hi,
Back in the Good Old Days, a "mob" was a "mobile object" -- usually meaning a critter that would attack you, although it could be a critter that would only attack if attacked (e.g., a shopkeeper). But, as you point out, "mob" has an even older meaning. So we end up with the possibility of a "mob of mobs" -- ack!
I've been trying to wean myself off of the MUSH/MUDD "mob" usage because of the confusion that sometimes results. I've tried, with slight success, to use "critter" instead. But in WoW, critters are the fuzzy little things you might more likely pet than kill. "Monster" just doesn't seem right when dealing with humans/humanoids. When searching for the just right word to describe the multitude of things one attacks, it almost seems that English, with it's hundreds of thousands of (mostly unused) words needs yet one more :)
--Pete
Back in the Good Old Days, a "mob" was a "mobile object" -- usually meaning a critter that would attack you, although it could be a critter that would only attack if attacked (e.g., a shopkeeper). But, as you point out, "mob" has an even older meaning. So we end up with the possibility of a "mob of mobs" -- ack!
I've been trying to wean myself off of the MUSH/MUDD "mob" usage because of the confusion that sometimes results. I've tried, with slight success, to use "critter" instead. But in WoW, critters are the fuzzy little things you might more likely pet than kill. "Monster" just doesn't seem right when dealing with humans/humanoids. When searching for the just right word to describe the multitude of things one attacks, it almost seems that English, with it's hundreds of thousands of (mostly unused) words needs yet one more :)
--Pete
How big was the aquarium in Noah's ark?