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Old 03-12-2008, 03:17 PM   #40
Threshold
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Join Date: Apr 2002
Home MUD: Threshold RPG
Posts: 1,260
Threshold will become famous soon enough
Re: Looking for an RPI, where the 'I' stands for "Immersive"

Well, you might want to re-read Jazuella's posts again. When non-RPI muds have their RP called "two dimensional", I think the point is relatively clear.

I agree that is the intention behind the use of the term. But that is why they would be better served by a term other than RPI. Because the "required" feature list really has less to do with intensive role play and more to do with "we like these types of features." An argument could be made that non-codified advancement is extremely fake, and far more "OOC" than something that is actually indigenous to the game world itself. Personally, I find non-codified advancement to be arbitrary in the extreme, and therefore about as OOC as you can get. You don't have to agree, but I feel mine is certainly a fair argument.

But that is even more vague than a feature list. It seems like the more we talk about RPIs and what makes an RPI, the more vague the requirements become. From my point of view, that just continues to demonstrate the real need for a more specific term for this "RPI" feature set - something concrete that does not rely on generic terms like "role play" and "intensive."


Huh? In the first half of the sentence, you admit the abuse can occur, and then say it isn't possible?

If you don't like global OOC channels, that's fine. Everyone is free to have their own preferences. But don't try to argue that eliminating them has any real, long term effect on people staying IC or inappropriately mixing IC/OOC information. AIM, forums, email, etc. are all avenues people will use regardless of your OOC channel set up. That just gets us back to the main point: the RPI designation is more about describing a preferred feature set than actually designating intensive role play. That is why this issue crops up all the time. That is why people "misuse" (in the eyes of RPI mudders) the term. That is why other people find its use to be snooty and superior.

Personally, I think it is safer (and overall better for RP) to have OOC global channels that everyone can see and that get logged by the game, than to not have them. If you don't have them, you push people towards third party programs that the admins of the game have no idea about and obviously cannot monitor or review. Those third party programs become their ONLY outlet for OOC discussion. At least with global OOC channels you have some idea regarding the OOC "traffic" related to your game - and no matter how intensive you think your RP is, there *WILL* be OOC discussion of your game.

Now, that is pure opinion. I understand that. But that's the point.
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