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KaVir · 04-19-2004, 03:34 AM

However those are the arguments being used to justify why "RPI" shouldn't have a specific meaning - eg:

Aristotle: "Unless something is managed by a standards body like ANSI or IEEE I do not think anyone can lay claim to what exactly defines RPI or any other game related acronym. Yes, people can share their opinions but nobody has the authority to outright declare what the precise and exact criterion are. Ultimately, the owner of a game has the right to label his/her game however he/she chooses."

Jazuela: "If you believe that the game you play is primarily an intensive roleplay game, then of COURSE it fits the bill of RolePlayIntensive."

The only arguments given for why those critiera shouldn't apply is because the literal meaning of RPI is Role-Playing Intensive, and because "the owner of a game has the right to label his/her game however he/she chooses." If you want to use those arguments, then they need to be applied consistantly if you want them to be taken seriously. If we should use the literal meaning of RPI, then the same logic dictates that we should also use the literal meaning of other acroynms - and if the owner of a mud can list his mud as an RPI purely on the basis that he feel it should be classified as such, then the same logic dictates that the owner of a mud can also list it as PK, RP, or whatever else takes his/her fancy. And if we do that, such labels become meaningless.

That's a better argument, the only problem is that "RPI" has been used for many years to refer to something which isn't so analog - something more analogous with a codebase.

The definition of "RP" is certainly analog, while the definition of "MOO" is not - would you agree with that?

However an "RPI" might not represent a derivative in the copyright sense like a "MOO" is, but it is still commonly used to refer to a group of muds which have all copied certain gameplay features from each other, which (aside from legal implications) is pretty much the same IMO.

Now obviously there is nothing stopping people from redefining RPI, but regardless of personal opinion it does currently have a specific meaning among a certain group of mudders, and trying to use it for something else is going to lead to confusion.

04-19-2004, 03:34 AM	#75
KaVir Legend Join Date: Apr 2002 Name: Richard Home MUD: God Wars II Posts: 2,052	However those are the arguments being used to justify why "RPI" shouldn't have a specific meaning - eg: Aristotle: "Unless something is managed by a standards body like ANSI or IEEE I do not think anyone can lay claim to what exactly defines RPI or any other game related acronym. Yes, people can share their opinions but nobody has the authority to outright declare what the precise and exact criterion are. Ultimately, the owner of a game has the right to label his/her game however he/she chooses." Jazuela: "If you believe that the game you play is primarily an intensive roleplay game, then of COURSE it fits the bill of RolePlayIntensive." The only arguments given for why those critiera shouldn't apply is because the literal meaning of RPI is Role-Playing Intensive, and because "the owner of a game has the right to label his/her game however he/she chooses." If you want to use those arguments, then they need to be applied consistantly if you want them to be taken seriously. If we should use the literal meaning of RPI, then the same logic dictates that we should also use the literal meaning of other acroynms - and if the owner of a mud can list his mud as an RPI purely on the basis that he feel it should be classified as such, then the same logic dictates that the owner of a mud can also list it as PK, RP, or whatever else takes his/her fancy. And if we do that, such labels become meaningless. That's a better argument, the only problem is that "RPI" has been used for many years to refer to something which isn't so analog - something more analogous with a codebase. The definition of "RP" is certainly analog, while the definition of "MOO" is not - would you agree with that? However an "RPI" might not represent a derivative in the copyright sense like a "MOO" is, but it is still commonly used to refer to a group of muds which have all copied certain gameplay features from each other, which (aside from legal implications) is pretty much the same IMO. Now obviously there is nothing stopping people from redefining RPI, but regardless of personal opinion it does currently have a specific meaning among a certain group of mudders, and trying to use it for something else is going to lead to confusion.