[prof1515]

As has already been pointed out, some of the problems you're describing indicate that you're not actually talking about RPI MUDs. This is an excellent example of why misuse of the term RPI is detrimental to the RPI community. Here we have someone with legitimate complaints about MUDs who is singling out RPIs when in fact they are not actually talking about RPIs MUDs. Because some games out there are calling themselves RPI, their poor quality is being cited in association with a type of game of which they are not.

As for the problems mentioned in the original post, I share the frustration. Some, though obviously not all, are problems that I find increasingly common in many MUDs, RPIs included. It's a symptom of the parity of mediocrity in the community brought about by several causes not the least of which is the obsession with playerbase size and the lowering of standards to attract more players (at least so far as the RPIs are concerned; some formerly RP-light games have actually made improvements in their RP but as I said it's creating a parity of mediocrity).

The things that Zeta Thompson mentioned are many of the reasons I've stopped playing MUDs for entertainment. With me, I played RPIs exclusively since 2002 and they're just not what they used to be nor is the outlook all that promising. In fact, just last night I was thinking about the old days and remembering when I used to spend many a night fixed before my computer RPing. Now, the only reason I really play MUDs is for evaluation and review.

Jason