Rank up
Encyclopedia
In video gaming slang, and especially in online multiplayer games, to rank up (sometimes abbreviated r^ in text chat
s) is to achieve a higher ranking
relative to other players. Ranking up may refer both to this and the techniques used to do so, while a rank-up game, rank-up match or rank-up room is a match expressly set up for this purpose.
The term "ranking up" usually implies a direct approach. Gamers who rank up may exploit known game glitch
es, play with special strategies, or play only in specific matches or against certain other players, to improve their ranks without using or improving their own skill
or expertise in the game in general. In this case, it is often considered a form of cheating
.
The PlayStation 2
SOCOM
series is one set of games where ranking up techniques are used by some players, to improve their rank on the games' official online leaderboards.
. Sometimes, a certain ranking must be achieved in order to succeed a level.
Examples include Tenchu
, Hitman
, Devil May Cry
, Ace Combat
and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
In Tenchu
, one can achieve a higher ranking by performing more (stealth) kills, by not killing civilian
s and by remaining unseen. Rankings include Grand Master, Expert and Rookie.
In Hitman
, one can achieve a higher ranking by performing as little kills as possible, in contrast to Tenchu, by not using any firearm
s, by remaining undetected and by not alerting guards of a possible intruder (that being you). The best possible ranking is silent assassin
(maximum stealth and minimum aggression). Two other extremes are mass murderer (minimum stealth and maximum aggression) and sociopath
(maximum stealth and maximum aggression, best achieved in the Traditions of the Trade mission of Hitman: Contracts
).
In the video game franchises
Devil May Cry
and Ace Combat
a grading system using letters
is used. In Devil May Cry, the rating goes from SSS to D, with SSS being the highest and D the lowest and with each letter being assigned a single word to represent its value (e.g. in Devil May Cry 3, A stands for "awesome"). In Ace Combat the rating goes from S to C with S being the best and C the worst.
In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
an overall ranking (which can be viewed in the stats menu) will give the player a ranking (which carry names given to individuals within the criminal underworld such as King of San Andreas, Burglar and Pickpocket) depending on his or her score. This score is influenced by gang members and dealers killed, territories lost or gained, game progress (completing all missions, odd jobs, races and the like will reward the player with a grand 100%), various RPG
-style stats including respect and appeal and more. The best ranking, King of San Andreas will not reward anything special, except bragging rights.
Online chat
Online chat may refer to any kind of communication over the Internet, that offers an instantaneous transmission of text-based messages from sender to receiver, hence the delay for visual access to the sent message shall not hamper the flow of communications in any of the directions...
s) is to achieve a higher ranking
Ranking
A ranking is a relationship between a set of items such that, for any two items, the first is either 'ranked higher than', 'ranked lower than' or 'ranked equal to' the second....
relative to other players. Ranking up may refer both to this and the techniques used to do so, while a rank-up game, rank-up match or rank-up room is a match expressly set up for this purpose.
The term "ranking up" usually implies a direct approach. Gamers who rank up may exploit known game glitch
Glitch
A glitch is a short-lived fault in a system. It is often used to describe a transient fault that corrects itself, and is therefore difficult to troubleshoot...
es, play with special strategies, or play only in specific matches or against certain other players, to improve their ranks without using or improving their own skill
Skill
A skill is the learned capacity to carry out pre-determined results often with the minimum outlay of time, energy, or both. Skills can often be divided into domain-general and domain-specific skills...
or expertise in the game in general. In this case, it is often considered a form of cheating
Cheating in online games
Cheating in online games is an activity that modifies the game experience to give one player an advantage over others. Depending on the game, different activities constitute cheating and it is either a matter of game policy or consensus opinion as to whether a particular activity is considered to...
.
The PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
SOCOM
SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs
SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs is a tactical third-person shooter video game developed by Zipper Interactive and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It is an exclusive title for the PlayStation 2. SOCOM was released on August 27, 2002, and it is one of the earliest online titles available for the...
series is one set of games where ranking up techniques are used by some players, to improve their rank on the games' official online leaderboards.
Single player games
In single player games, often a ranking system is also present. High rankings will most likely lead to better rewards or can even unlock features or extra levelsLevel (computer and video games)
A level, map, area, or world in a video game is the total space available to the player during the course of completing a discrete objective...
. Sometimes, a certain ranking must be achieved in order to succeed a level.
Examples include Tenchu
Tenchu
Tenchu is the title of a stealth game series of video games originally developed by Acquire wherein the player assumes the role of a ninja....
, Hitman
Hitman (computer game series)
Hitman is a stealth game series developed by the Danish company IO Interactive. The series is available on PC as well as several video game consoles, including the Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Xbox 360. The game series has since expanded into a novel, Hitman: Enemy Within written by...
, Devil May Cry
Devil May Cry
is an action game developed and published by Capcom, released in 2001 for the PlayStation 2. Although it is the first game in the series of the same name, the events in Devil May Cry are second in the series storyline's chronological order, taking place after Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening and...
, Ace Combat
Ace Combat
Ace Combat is a hybrid arcade-simulation flight action video game series featuring 12 games, published by the Japanese company Namco Bandai Games...
and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a 2004 open world action video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the third 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, the fifth original console release and eighth game overall...
In Tenchu
Tenchu
Tenchu is the title of a stealth game series of video games originally developed by Acquire wherein the player assumes the role of a ninja....
, one can achieve a higher ranking by performing more (stealth) kills, by not killing civilian
Civilian
A civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces or other militia. Civilians are distinct from combatants. They are afforded a degree of legal protection from the effects of war and military occupation...
s and by remaining unseen. Rankings include Grand Master, Expert and Rookie.
In Hitman
Hitman (computer game series)
Hitman is a stealth game series developed by the Danish company IO Interactive. The series is available on PC as well as several video game consoles, including the Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Xbox 360. The game series has since expanded into a novel, Hitman: Enemy Within written by...
, one can achieve a higher ranking by performing as little kills as possible, in contrast to Tenchu, by not using any firearm
Firearm
A firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...
s, by remaining undetected and by not alerting guards of a possible intruder (that being you). The best possible ranking is silent assassin
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
(maximum stealth and minimum aggression). Two other extremes are mass murderer (minimum stealth and maximum aggression) and sociopath
Psychopathy
Psychopathy is a mental disorder characterized primarily by a lack of empathy and remorse, shallow emotions, egocentricity, and deceptiveness. Psychopaths are highly prone to antisocial behavior and abusive treatment of others, and are very disproportionately responsible for violent crime...
(maximum stealth and maximum aggression, best achieved in the Traditions of the Trade mission of Hitman: Contracts
Hitman: Contracts
Hitman: Contracts is a stealth game developed by IO Interactive and published by Eidos Interactive. It is the third entry in the Hitman series, followed by Hitman: Blood Money....
).
In the video game franchises
Media franchise
A media franchise is an intellectual property involving the characters, setting and trademarks of an original work of media , such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or a video game. Generally, a whole series is made in a particular medium, along with merchandising and endorsements...
Devil May Cry
Devil May Cry
is an action game developed and published by Capcom, released in 2001 for the PlayStation 2. Although it is the first game in the series of the same name, the events in Devil May Cry are second in the series storyline's chronological order, taking place after Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening and...
and Ace Combat
Ace Combat
Ace Combat is a hybrid arcade-simulation flight action video game series featuring 12 games, published by the Japanese company Namco Bandai Games...
a grading system using letters
Letter (alphabet)
A letter is a grapheme in an alphabetic system of writing, such as the Greek alphabet and its descendants. Letters compose phonemes and each phoneme represents a phone in the spoken form of the language....
is used. In Devil May Cry, the rating goes from SSS to D, with SSS being the highest and D the lowest and with each letter being assigned a single word to represent its value (e.g. in Devil May Cry 3, A stands for "awesome"). In Ace Combat the rating goes from S to C with S being the best and C the worst.
In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a 2004 open world action video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the third 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, the fifth original console release and eighth game overall...
an overall ranking (which can be viewed in the stats menu) will give the player a ranking (which carry names given to individuals within the criminal underworld such as King of San Andreas, Burglar and Pickpocket) depending on his or her score. This score is influenced by gang members and dealers killed, territories lost or gained, game progress (completing all missions, odd jobs, races and the like will reward the player with a grand 100%), various RPG
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
-style stats including respect and appeal and more. The best ranking, King of San Andreas will not reward anything special, except bragging rights.
External links
- "SOCOM II Questions", a forum thread on GameSpotGameSpotGameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
, mentioning the term (and the apparent randomnessRandomnessRandomness has somewhat differing meanings as used in various fields. It also has common meanings which are connected to the notion of predictability of events....
of the SOCOM IISOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALsSOCOM II: U.S. Navy SEALs is a third-person tactical shooter video game for the PlayStation 2 and a sequel to SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs. The game was developed by Zipper Interactive in collaboration with the Naval Special Warfare Command and published by Sony Computer Entertainment...
ranking system).