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Persistent world
 
 
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A persistent world (PW) is a virtual world
Virtual world

A virtual world is a computer simulation intended for its user to inhabit and interact via Avatar s. These avatars are usually depicted as textual, two-dimensional, or 3D computer graphics representations, although other forms are possible ....
 that continues to exist even after a user
User (computing)

In computing, a user is a person who uses a computer or Internet service. A user may have a user account that identifies the user by a username , screenname , or "handle", which is derived from the identical Citizen's Band radio term....
 exits the world and that user-made changes to its state are, to some extent, permanent. The term is frequently used in the definition of the massively multiplayer online video games and can be considered synonymous with that class of games.

persistence comes from maintaining and developing the state of the world in the game around the clock.






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A persistent world (PW) is a virtual world
Virtual world

A virtual world is a computer simulation intended for its user to inhabit and interact via Avatar s. These avatars are usually depicted as textual, two-dimensional, or 3D computer graphics representations, although other forms are possible ....
 that continues to exist even after a user
User (computing)

In computing, a user is a person who uses a computer or Internet service. A user may have a user account that identifies the user by a username , screenname , or "handle", which is derived from the identical Citizen's Band radio term....
 exits the world and that user-made changes to its state are, to some extent, permanent. The term is frequently used in the definition of the massively multiplayer online video games and can be considered synonymous with that class of games.

Overview

The persistence comes from maintaining and developing the state of the world in the game around the clock. Quite unlike other types of games, the plot and events in a persistent world game continue to develop even while some of the players
Player (game)

A player of a game is a participant therein. The term 'player' is used with this same meaning both in game theory and in ordinary recreational games....
 are not playing their character
Player character

A player character or playable character is a fictional character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player , and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game....
s. That aspect is similar to the real world
Real world

Real world may refer to:* Real World , by Matchbox Twenty* Real World * Real World Records, a record label* The Real World, a television show...
 where events do occur regardless if they are directly or indirectly related to a person, as they continue to happen while a person is asleep, etc. Conversely, a player's character can also influence and change a persistent world. The degree to which a character affects a world varies from game to game. Since the game does not pause or create player-accessible back-up files, a character's actions will have consequences that the player must deal with.

Elements of persistent worlds can be found in computer games from as early as the 1980s, including Trade Wars
Trade Wars

Trade Wars is the title, with some variations in spelling and capitalization, of a series of computer games dating back to the early days of personal computing....
 (1984) and Orb Wars (1989). The term gained popularity in the late 1990s with the growth in popularity of MMORPG
MMORPG

A massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of computer role-playing games in which a large number of player interact with one another in a virtual world....
s. The term is also frequently used by players of Neverwinter Nights
Neverwinter Nights

Neverwinter Nights , produced by BioWare and published by Infogrames , is a third-person perspective computer role-playing game that is based on Editions of Dungeons & Dragons#3rd edition Dungeons & Dragons and Forgotten Realms rules....
 (2002) to refer to MMORPG-like online environments, such as A Land Far Away, Arkaz, Arelith, Avlis
AVLIS

AVLIS Is an acronym which stands for atomic vapor laser isotope separation and is a method by which specially tunable laser are used to separate isotopes of uranium using selective ionization of hyperfine transitions....
 and Bruehawks, created using the game's toolkit.

Offline persistence


Persistent worlds can be simulated in offline games, such as in the Animal Crossing series. Even though nothing happens while the game is off (due to the obvious technical constraint), the illusion of persistence is created by advancing events as soon as the game is turned on. The game generates events that could have happened during the real-world time in which the game was inactive. NPC
Non-player character

A non-player character, often shortened to NPC, is a fictional character that is controlled by the gamemaster in role-playing games. When this definition extends to video games, an NPC in a video game is usually part of the computer program, and not controlled by a human....
 development is also seen as a key factor in maintaining offline and online persistence. A method for creating NPCs that evolve and adapt to gameplay is seen in research done on motivated reinforcement learning agents . Further persistence is possible if NPC interact with players in an adaptive way rather than a static method without regard to prior experiences.

See also

  • MUD
    MUD

    In Online game, a MUD , pronounced /m?d/, is a multi-user real-time virtual world described entirely in text. It combines elements of role-playing games, hack and slash, interactive fiction, and online chat....
  • Instance dungeon
    Instance dungeon

    In MMORPGs, an instance dungeon is a special area, typically a dungeon , that generates a new copy, or instance, of the dungeon map for each group that enters the area....