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Terminology |
In video gaming, a Command is where the game is provided with an instruction, and that instruction will have a pre-programmed action that corresponds to the command entered.
There are three types of command; accessible, obfuscated, and console.
Accessible commands are what we expect when we open a game. A button with an image of bag on it that opens an inventory or inventory management system is an accessible command, because it has been deliberately coded by the developers of that video game to assist the player. Likewise, using the WASD or arrow keys to move is an accessible command.
Obfuscated commands are often the remains of debugging code left in from when the game was being developed. If a programmer changes the behaviour of an element in the game, such as a gun, it makes sense from a development point-of-view to include a shortcut that allows the programmer to instantly be provided with ammunition, so they can immediately test the element in question, without being constrained by the game's resource environment. Because many of these commands form part of the core game's executable or runtime files, removing these commands is often far more complex than just leaving them in place. Depending on what action these types of command provide to the player, these commands may also be referred to as cheats.
Console commands are deliberate text-based sequences that must be entered on what is known as the console, often accessible from the game's user interface. Console commands are often undocumented, and one such commands that a game may support is the noclip command.