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Old 06-15-2005, 01:04 PM   #18
Akraasiel
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I think that there is a bit of confusion on terms. I think Ill stick with IRE as my example in these cases because they are perhaps the best known muds around. (as a whole)

When I think roleplay encouraged, I tend to think that such means that the act of roleplaying is both facilitated by the code itself as well as by the divine, and the players reap reward for roleplay. Not as some pretty gold star, but roleplay relevant rewards. However this system means that any lesson or practice point mud falls short of the definition unless the divines of the realm reward roleplay manually as such. IRE's learning system, as well as their hack and slashed based character growth system prevent this from applying.

When I think roleplay allowed muds, I tend to think of a mud that has the framework that allows roleplay to occur, guilds, economics, maybe a political system, as well as divines who get involved with roleplay on and off. I think that IRE as a whole falls into this category best.

When I think roleplay intensive muds, I think of a mud where roleplay isnt something that is a question, but a fact of life, where roleplay is THE ONLY way to grow. If you dont roleplay getting somewhere you wont get there. Continuing with the example of IRE, they fall far short of this. The inherant mechanics of the game are geared toward min/maxing and other hack and slash principals, making the title of roleplay intensive far beyond its grasp.


I do not think that any level of roleplay MUD, or even Hack and Slash muds are inferior to one another on this principal merely different, though I think that muds should be advertised as what they are. If roleplay is truely encouraged, then its an RPE, if it is merely allowed, with no tangible benefits within the game to it, then it is RPA, and if it is essential to gameplay, with no other route for advancement, then a game is RPI. If no roleplay whatsoever is coded for within the game, nor encouraged by the staff, then it is Hack and Slash. All of these games have their appeal, but the concept of advertising a RPA as an RPE or a RPA as a hack and slash, I find unsettling. That was the entire point of my original post, and to spark discussion on where the dividing lines lie.
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