[prof1515]

Most, if not all, RPIs also have forums through which such socialization can take place. They've also incorporated other features such as SoI's Guest Lounge or Harshlands' chat room to allow players to socialize. Out-of-character interaction is just that, OOC, and shouldn't be taking place in the in-character environment. It's against the policy, so why incorporate (or more aptly, not remove from the code as it's pretty standard in many H&S codes) features which violate the policies put in place?

There's a degree to which a free-form emote begins to violate the setting. Policy on RPIs specifies remaining in-character within the game's setting. Sadly, I have seen some RPIs loosen this strict adherence a bit in the hopes of attracting and retaining more players but this has had the effect of driving off some of their veterans, myself included.

Which however is how the real world works. Do we elect our leaders based on them being the most advanced in the skills of leadership? If so, we wouldn't have Bush right now. Code mechanics in RPIs are designed to emulate those areas of the game world that are outside of the socio-cultural realm while leaving aspects which are not inherently biological/physical to the control of the player and society. Most MUDs, by comparison do the exact opposite (players can spam up the skills they want at the rate they want using points, etc. while they can't change professions from their original selection...once a fighter, always a fighter).

The policy in RPIs is toward strict in-character role-play at all times. An OOC "pressure valve" like global OOC channels is thereby contradictory to such policy. It should be noted that most, if not all, RPIs have a local OOC channel but that its use is strictly regulated for the purpose of short, unobtrusive assistance. Anything requiring further and more extensive use is usually regarded as requiring staff assistance via communication with staff that is not visible to the rest of the game world, not even locally within the same room.

Skill advancement through use on RPIs typically employ fail checks and timers to prevent spamming skill use to advance. True that doesn't stop some players, most of which are not likened to RPers in some cases but rather to H&Sers, but for all their skill spamming they won't get any better any faster than players who use their skills reasonably (and in some cases RPIs have been known to incorporate penalties for skill spamming which slow down the ability of the spammer to advance...spar over and over again and your health weakens to the point that you are unable to spar when the timer is up because realistically you've sparred yourself into a weakened bedridden state).

Classes and levels as used in MUDs share real world similarities in name only. Classes and "levels" in the real world are social constructs. In MUDs, these terms describe physical barriers inherent within the character itself. The closest real world example would be gender. However, as gender is defined in MUDs separate from class and level, that eliminates the comparison.

An explicit set of features that defines RPI is possible. The controversy arises when games which don't meet those criteria object and some then throw out the accusations of "elitism". Some of the "club" mentality I've seen has actually been from games that don't match the characteristics of the MUDs to which the term RPI was first applied. Ironic, no?

Take care,

Jason