[prof1515]

That's not entirely true. Of the 11 RPIs to have ever opened (be it Alpha, Beta or fully), only 4* of them have originally used the RPI Engine variant of the Harshlands code (*see my next note below). The most frequently used code was the original Harshlands modification itself (unless you count the modifications to the code made by FEM as a separate sub-category) as it was used for 5 games, the most successful of which was SoI which Traithe reworked into the RPI Engine. Only if you count games which did not or have yet to open does the RPI Engine actually become the most commonly used code for making RPI MUDs. In such a case, the original HL code ends up with 6 games based on it while the SoI RPI Engine variant has had at least 20 but only if you discount the Argila-variant of the RPI Engine which was really just a "cleaned up" version of SoI's release.

Again, not entirely true. In 2004 Harshlands decided to begin using the RPI Engine but integrating some of their old code into it to make it a hybrid of the two. They retained some things like the soft reboot, literacy and the accounts system while removing the right/left hand feature, disabled ranged weapons, modified weapon types to match their traditional categories and made other changes to keep the code consistent with their world.

The code on SoI is hardly antiquated as it's been consistently added to since it opened. They've gone through different variations on the code since way back when they opened and later when Traithe released the RPI Engine in 2003. However, if by antiquated you mean there hasn't been any new codebase developed for RPIs in the better part of a decade you would be partially correct.

To date there have been 3 codebase lineages used to create RPIs. Armageddon represents one. Harshlands, Shadows of Isildur and its descendants represent a second. Southlands represents the third and newest (and by newest I mean nearly a decade old as well). However, there there are two to three more new codebases in the works (of which TSOY would be one) but none are near to completion so far as I've heard.

Finally, there are five, not four, active RPIs. The aforementioned Southlands is still technically open last I looked. Additionally, Black Sands is a sixth RPI that's technically open though not active right now as a result of some bug problems they were apparently fixing (as I understand it, their coder was without internet for the last few months which is why they had the down time). They are in an open beta-testing phase and last time I checked could be logged into by players. There's also a seventh set to open in August of this year.

Jason aka Falco