Glossary of Common Terms

NOTE: This glossary is still being populated. If there’s a term you come across within the documentation that you’re unsure of and you can’t find its definition here, let us know over at the forums!

Overview

This is a glossary of terms you’ll come across when reading through these docs. If you feel a bit lost, or just want to brush up on your Table Realms developer terminology, come here!

A - E

Term Definition
Aug, Augmentation A file created in the Table Realms IDE using the Lua scripting language. The purpose of an Aug is to Augment the end user’s experience.
Avatar A special type of component used to represent the user in a multiplayer game.
Build Tool A tool used to build and locally host Table Realms integrated games, for testing and quality assurance purposes.
Controller A style of aug used for games.
Command
Component (Aug) A component can vary from being a button, grid, thumbstick, image, or other such things that are used to populate the layout in an aug file.
Console A non-mobile device, such as a laptop, pc, or xbox, used to host a Table Realms compatible game.
Console (Game Mode)
Construct2/3 A game development platform reminiscent of Game Maker, albeit with broader, more stable functionality.
Embedded (Game Mode) A Table Realms specific game mode designed to run purely on mobile devices from within the Table Realms mobile app.

F - J

Term Definition
Forums The developer forums hosted here, created for knowledge sharing purposes.
Game Mode The different modes available for Table Realms integrated games, including: console, embedded, native, and peer-to-peer.
Host The first device to establish connection to the Table Realms back end. Using the P2P model, this device distributes commands to all other connected devices. In console mode, the console is always the host.

K - O

Term Definition
Layout (Aug) Layouts are a specific type of component
Lua A lightweight coding language that is used when creating scripts for the aug file. Official documentation is available here.
Lobby The lobby is a page on an aug designed primarily to create a “waiting room” for party games, and it works in both landscape and portrait modes.
Model Simply put, the model is a table where data is stored in key-value pairs. If you are using an aug designed to interface with something that is not built in Lua, note that you will be dealing with two models.
Native (Game Mode) A game mode designed to be launched natively from the device (rather than scanning a QR code).
Network Message

P - T

Term Definition
P2P A multiplayer game mode architecture that allows for one way communication from the host device to the client devices.
P3P A multiplayer game mode architecture that allows for bi-directional communication from the host device to the client devices.
Page (Aug) A page is the foundation for building an Aug in the Table Realms IDE. An Aug is comprised of multiple pages, each with their own unique layout of panels and components.
Peer One of multiple users who have connected to the same Table Realms game, with the same Session ID.
Peer-to-peer (Game Mode) One of multiple users who have connected to the same Table Realms game, with the same Session ID.
Playcanvas A game development platform owned by Snap Inc. based on Java Script.
Second Screen An augmentation experience designed for certain games and television shows.
Session ID An ID that uniquely identifies the game session currently in progress. Used to identify other users in the same session, to facilitate multiplayer functionality.
Table Realms A technology stack designed to augment the users’ experiences in across multiple types of leisure and entertainment activities.
Table Realms App The mobile app used to run and display Table Realms integrated games and other executables.
Table Realms IDE The Lua-based IDE used either for building Aug files for your game, or to build the game purely in Lua.
Table Realms Test Harness A developer tool designed specifically for Table Realms to facilitate the testing process for games designed specifically for native, embedded, and peer-to-peer modes.

U - Z

Term Definition
Unity A cross-platform game development engine created and owned by Unity Technologies, designed to code full games using C#.
Unity Project Tiny A cross-platform game development engine created and owned by Unity Technologies, designed to code micro games using TypeScript.