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gold n.
Usually used in the phrase "gone gold," gold status means a game has been declared finished by the development team and is being sent to the publisher for testing, then to a disc-pressing factory for subsequent manufacture. Gold status sometimes precedes a game's release by as little as a week or two.
libraries n. pl.
Libraries are pieces of code provided by a console company that let developers implement functions or graphical and sound effects in their games without having to program them all from scratch. In the PlayStation's case, for instance, Sony prefers that developers not access all the system's hardware directly, but instead use the provided libraries to gain functionality. Think of the libraries as a layer that sits between the physical hardware and the upper levels of the game's code - kind of an interface between the two.
model n.
A 3D object made up of polygons in a 3D game. Models are created in a variety of ways. For example, they can be constructed by hand, piece by piece, or they can be "scanned" in three dimensions from a physical model. 3D models can serve almost any function in a 3D game, from the player's character, to enemy and boss characters, to power-ups, or noninteractive background items. Mario in Super Mario 64 is a good example of a 3D model. All of the graphical effects that can be used in a 3D world also apply to 3D models contained in that world.
motion capture n.
A process that captures the movement of a live or at least articulate model and applies it to a 3D model. Sensors are attached to various points on the (usually human) model and record motion data as the model moves. The data can then be used to animate a model in the computer, resulting in very lifelike movement. Motion-captured animation generally requires a degree of retouching to clean up the movements. See model, 3D, and polygon in the Graphics section.
release candidate n.
A "final beta" stage of a game's development. A release candidate, as the name implies, is, in the developer's opinion, in a final and polished state, worthy of being released to retail outlets. Problems may still manifest at this point, however, so testing continues until the developer is satisfied. However, no significant features are being added at this point, as the game is nearly done. See alpha, beta, and beta test.
second-party developer n.
A second-party game developer exists sort of inside and outside a hardware manufacturer at the same time. The UK developer Rare is the best example of this kind of company. Rare is partially owned by Nintendo, and as such it makes games exclusively for Nintendo consoles, and Nintendo has some creative control over Rare's games.
third-party developer n.
A third party is a game maker entirely unrelated to the manufacturer of the console it develops for. Capcom and Konami are good examples of third-party developers. They have well-known game characters and franchises, but their games could potentially show up on any popular game system.
tools n. pl.
A suite of programs supplied by a console company, such as Sony, or written by the development team's programmers themselves, the tools are used to create content for a game. Tools may include art-editing programs, 3D model-creation utilities, or level editors.
wireframe n.
A wireframe is a version of a 3D model without any kind of texture mapping or shading applied. It is a model at its most basic. The edges of each polygon in the model are represented by lines, but the actual face of the polygon is transparent, thus the model appears to be constructed by wires, hence the name. A wireframe model almost never appears in the game itself; it is mainly useful to the developer when constructing the model. See model in this section and 3D and polygon in the Graphics section.
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