Why 'DPS'? It's a 'DD', isn't it?

Tan9oSuccka · February 2018

I prefer Damage Dealer.

I rarely get to play as one. I usually Tank or Heal.

Kodrac · February 2018

Eremith wrote: »

But in all of MMORPGs I've played people used 'DD' (damage dealer) for the role and 'DPS' for... DPS (damage per second). That was in Lineage2, WoW, Perfect World, Allods Online, BDO, Archeage, Skyforge...

The thing is, as people mentioned here, there's a difference between EU and NA MMO comunities. We here in Europe use 'DD' mostly, while players in America continents use 'DPS'.

Ah makes sense. Those are all MMOs I've never played (besides WoW) and I'm not EU either.

Robvenom · February 2018

ESO_Blash wrote: »

Players who call the damage dealer DPS instead of DD are the same ones who think TRAIL is the right term for Trial...

DPS is what you do, not who you are.

Irrelevant.

It has been DPS in every MMO I have ever played and was DPS before I ever touched an MMO. It will always be DPS.

Twenty0zTsunami · February 2018

ESO_Blash wrote: »

Players who call the damage dealer DPS instead of DD are the same ones who think TRAIL is the right term for Trial...

DPS is what you do, not who you are.

so healers aren't healers? cause thats what they do not who they are. They've been called dps for ever now. Different game communities chose different standards, but the fact is that DPS=DD.

Shawn_PT · February 2018

This must vary wildly in different servers. ESO is my first and only MMO and I never quite saw people generally referring to DPS instead of DDs. Even now it's so rare to find someone misusing this that it makes me snicker and think 'lol must be a WoW player.'

Looking for one damage dealer for normal Maw of Lorkhaj (LF 1 DD nMoL)

clearly not the same as

Looking for one damage per second for normal Maw of Lorkhaj (LF 1 DPS nMoL).

A blind monkey could hit 1DPS.Heck even tanks and healers hit way over that.

Tandor · February 2018

altemriel wrote: »

yes, DPS (damage per second), DD (damage dealer), so the proper name for the role should be DD, not DPS.

but it gets pretty much confused in the game, so DPS is used in the same meaning as DD

Forgive me for not reading all the pages, so I don't know if this has already been explained, but as a UK player who's played CRPGs since 1984 and MMORPGs since 1998:-

DPS = Damage Per Second.

DD = Direct Damage

DOT = Damage Over Time

The combination of the second and third terms is what produces the first term if you're looking at the overall damage, but if you're just looking at the weapon damage then the DPS usually refers to just what the weapon does and not any additional abilities or skills you're using at the same time.

Other generations and other countries may use the terms differently, but that's the original basis of them at least in the UK (but for most of the time I've played on US servers as well so I'd be surprised if my understanding of the original meanings wasn't universal at the time), and I'm surprised that people are discussing "DD" without differentiating it from "DOT".

temjiu · February 2018

kylewwefan wrote: »

Is this the same guy that gets upset when I call my characters “Toons”

Most likely.

I've been using DPS and toon since I started MMO's back in DAoC days. I personally don't care who uses which version, I understand both. they are both game based terminology, have no real place in regular language, so It's irrelevant IMO. It actually took me a bit to figure out what people were saying initially when I first saw the whole "DD" thing.

SO we've already established that both are used, and both are understood to mean the same thing. I get the logic behind using DD over DPS, but I really don't care. It's not like it takes me extra brain cycles to process DPS, and it's not going to make my game lag more because someone typed DPS instead of DD in chat. Who gives a rats nose?

If y'all will excuse me, need to hop onto my DPS toon and Deal some Damage (hue hue, I used DD as a function instead of a role, see that there?)

xbobx · February 2018

jssriot wrote: »

This thread is effing hilarious. Like the game devs haven't been literally paid to study other MMOs and MMO players and culture to make sure ESO appeals to the right target audience since the moment ZOS decided to invest hundreds of millions of dollar into making this game.

and if you recalled the game failed miserably as a subscription only game. The devs are not a smart group and they have proved this over and over again.

xbobx · February 2018

DPS makes no sense to me. I hear people say its what you do etc.

its not, its a calculation to measure your ability to deal damage. As in DD.

DD is your job, DPS is a calculation to measure your proficiency in your job.

I am an accountant so maybe that is why i see it this way.

every mmo i have ever played it has been DD, Healer, and tank. The holy trinity.

Ermiq · February 2018

Twenty0zTsunami wrote: »

ESO_Blash wrote: »

Players who call the damage dealer DPS instead of DD are the same ones who think TRAIL is the right term for Trial...

DPS is what you do, not who you are.

so healers aren't healers? cause thats what they do not who they are. They've been called dps for ever now. Different game communities chose different standards, but the fact is that DPS=DD.

What?!
Who is he? He's a healer. What he does? He heals. How the heck 'healer' is what he does?

Ermiq · February 2018

temjiu wrote: »

kylewwefan wrote: »

Is this the same guy that gets upset when I call my characters “Toons”

Most likely.

No.

ecru · February 2018

Vahrokh wrote: »

The term "DPS" started being used in WoW. Since then, it has stuck as an anomalous but much used term.

it was around much earlier than that

Milvan · February 2018

Please stop my brain hurts.

From now on I will start to use Damage Per Second Dealer.

Hurtfan · February 2018

This thread is making me feel old, DDs have always been Damage Dealers since the dawn of time in every MMO I've ever played. Didn't know it changed or there was another possible meaning for it tbh...

LordSemaj · February 2018

Instead of perpetuating the back and forth, you should cite the country and time zone you play from.

Like on the East coast hours from north america, it's fairly universal to be dubbed DPS. That's been the way of things on every MMO I've played and I've played over 100 of them in my years. DD was very rarely used and mostly by europeans when it was.

Twenty0zTsunami · February 2018

Hurtfan wrote: »

This thread is making me feel old, DDs have always been Damage Dealers since the dawn of time in every MMO I've ever played. Didn't know it changed or there was another possible meaning for it tbh...

Yes, it started that way, but very simply: just becuase something starts one way, doesn't mean it stays that way.

I think WoW is the biggest factor. People almost exclusively used the term DPS in wow, and I'm pretty sure it's one of the most commonly played video games in history, not to mention specifically mmos-- so many people who have never played anything but would know the term as DPS.

I think the reason "DPS" was not even an established idea back in the days of EQ and various MMOs, was due to the fact that games (or addons) didn't provide a means to calculate your overall dmg output over time. Which is a fairly commonplace concept these days, and since many people who have tried ESO have likely played WoW for a duration it only follows that the common term would follow.

Also consider that DD refers to a specific damage mechanic in some games (direct dmg, vs dot, etc) and it's generally best practice to keep your acronyms unique

PlagueSD · February 2018

The trinity has been around FOREVER:

Tank: Just like a tank in battle, they are the ones that take all the damage.
DPS: These are the players that do Damage - Using either Direct Damage (DD) or Damage over Time (DoT) abilities.
Healers: These are the players that Heal the party and keep players alive.

We use DPS so as to not confuse the acronym for Direct Damage (DD).

Some games also have a 4th role called Support. These are the players responsible for buffing the group and debuffing MOBS.

Tsukiino · February 2018

Those who call it DPS are the same people who call their alternate characters "toons"

Grynnyl · February 2018

Tandor wrote: »

DPS = Damage Per Second.

DD = Direct Damage

DOT = Damage Over Time

Lump me in with the old farts who remember when DD was a type of DPS. 'Course, I still have flashbacks to zone-wide crack-dealer advertising in EQ1 and the lines that resulted so...

Zamuro · February 2018

it will always be dps. eso is the first place i heard someone saying dd

Slick_007 · February 2018

xbobx wrote: »

every mmo i have ever played it has been DD, Healer, and tank. The holy trinity.

online mmo's since 96 and this is the first game iv seen DD.

notimetocare · February 2018

Eremith wrote: »

Just curious. Here in ESO everyone says 'DPS player', 'DPS class', 'as DPS'...
Damage per second player? You queued as a damage per second?
It always've been a Damage Dealer, but in ESO it turned into DPS. Weird.

DD players are ranked by DPS in almost every MMORPG. DPS is used almost everywhere.

Welcome to how language is adopted. It makes almost no sense at all. It generally tends towards what makes the simplest explanation without being too brief or coarse for the adopting language.

Grynnyl · February 2018

Tsukiino wrote: »

Those who call it DPS are the same people who call their alternate characters "toons"

I can't argue with that. 'Toons' is what they were 20 years ago, although that was for all your characters, not just the alts. Not even sure what the cool kids call them these days.

"Avatars", maybe?

ookami007 · February 2018

if (gives == "[snip]")
{
Callyourself = "DD"
}
else
{
Callyourself = "DPS"
}

And there you go.

[Edited to remove profanity]

swippy · February 2018

anitajoneb17_ESO wrote: »

Gythral wrote: »

but why care? most know what is meant by either DPS or DD

Just because everyone got "used to it" and understand what's meant doesn't make it correct.

@anitajoneb17_ESO some scholars disagree with that.

when it comes to the evolution of denotation, there are 2 distinct camps. the traditionalists tend to consider the etymology of a term and restrict "proper" use to usages that hew closely to the original intent, deeming most aberrations "incorrect". pragmatists are generally more flexible and willing to examine the immediate context of the usage in order to understand the intent of the actual speaker.

linguists agree that in a living language words will change over time. they also agree that the primary intent of language is communicating information. consequently, if someone refers to a character as a "DPS" and it's understood by the reader/listener, then the intent -- communication -- has been fulfilled, and therefore cannot be "incorrect".

the internet is an excellent example of living language, as it retains traditional elements of language alongside constant turnover of phrases on the strength of their memetics. online gaming is particulaly interesting, as its non-isolated but relatively lower term turnover coupled with the near-necessity of developing a jargon introduces a stability wherein the effective communication of concepts is essential (or else the "raid" "wipes").

personally, i was a traditionalist too, who's becoming more and more pragmatic as time goes on and i learn more about the workings of language. you and i could maybe have a conversation in flawless 18th century Oxford English, but to speak to most folks that way would either be unintelligible, or so stylistically unusual as to fully distract from the ideas being expressed.

(we probably both hate the recent trend with the word literally, but for different reasons. maybe to you the new misuse is simply incorrect, which it is. to me, the fact that it so often means figuratively -- its antonym -- may soon render a previously useful word near-worthless. still, if we choose to interpret every misuse of it in the traditional sense, we will be left not understanding the idea being conveyed, and we will therefore be failing at language.)

it all comes down to intelligibility when determining what's "correct", is my point.

Sigtric · February 2018

In all my years of playing MMOs since the early EQ days, it has always been DPS for damage builds and DD has always meant Direct Damage ability as opposed to a DOT Damage over Time ability.

Yall are getting your knickers twisted over nothing, really.

Agrivar · February 2018

Slick_007 wrote: »

DD is the new millenial version of dps. because 3 characters was just too much to type.

The real answer, buried on page 3.

Also, love your signature, gonna have to start using it myself.

boombazookajd · February 2018

proof ya'll will argue about ANYTHING!

klowdy1 · February 2018

anitajoneb17_ESO wrote: »

klowdy1 wrote: »

anitajoneb17_ESO wrote: »

klowdy1 wrote: »

As long as you understand what is being said, what difference does it make? This is the only game I've ever seen use DD, so people coming from, literally, any other game probably won't be using it. Adapt, or adhere to your rigid ideas, just don't bash for not conforming to YOUR way of thinking.

While I agree it's no big deal - the OP never said it was - , it's important to emphasize that's it's NOT a way of thinking, rigid or not. It's a matter of grammar, vocabulary, and consistency of meaning. Language isn't a "way of thinking". It's an evolutive set of rules that allows us to communicate.

Which is why no one is quoted. That was directed at both sides, not just the OP. It's all semantics, and if people understand, then what does it matter?

No1 schoode kaer az longe aaz evri1 undeurstanndez amirite ?
Or maybe...
careful zero person must all people get so care why ?

(yeah with some effort you will understand. so why should anyone bother using the language properly ? From a linguistic point of view, "DPS" is plain wrong and "DD" is the correct (abbreviated) term to use. It's not an opinion. )

Are we really going to bring up grammar on these forums. Let's start with we're & where, your & you're, there their & they're. There's a difference in horrible sentence structure and synonyms. When people say "LF DPS" do you just read it over and over, pondering what that could possibly mean, or do you understand instantly? It has been established for quite some time now, whether it is correct or not, where as DD is new.

Marginis · February 2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ekLO8BwxwE