Codex Gamicus
Codex Gamicus
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Happy Smile Points

The RPG spoof Great Cave Offensive from Kirby Super Star

Points, are, basically, numbers. Points are how many of something you have. It's an oddly universal term that's rarely used the way it's used in video games anywhere outside of video games.

Points are units of a surreal concept that typically cannot be measured in numbers.

Examples of points[]

  • Score - When points go towards the a score they are units used to measure how well the player is playing the game. A 'high score' is a record of the most points the player has ever been able to accumulate.
  • Hit points - Hit points, or HP, represent a character's vitality. Usually, hit points mean nothing unless they are at zero. When hit points reach zero the character (usually) dies. 'Max HP' is the most amount of hit points a character can have at any given time. When a character loses HP, the amount it lost is usually called 'damage'.
  • Magic points - Magic points, or MP, represent the character's diminishing ability to cast magic. In more recent games, MP is also consumed by non-magic attacks, and has sort of become more representative of stamina than anything. MP is often called stamina or mana but usually serves the same purpose. Casting spells or using abilities costs MP, if the character doesn't have enough MP to cast the spell, they usually cannot cast it. Sometimes it is referred to as Mana.
  • Statistic Points - In RPGs, character statistics (often called 'stats') like Strength, Agility, and Intelligence are measured in points. They are usually connected to the character's "level," also represented numerically.
  • Experience Points - Also in RPGs, experience points, or more simply "experience," (or even more simply EXP) comes from defeating enemies or accomplishing significant goals (sometimes referred to in-game as "quests"). When a character nets enough experience points, his level increases, as do his statistics (see above).
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