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Maia,
It's an excellent question and one that is rooted in the game design, both on a thematic and coded level. KaVir has presented several arguments in the past on administrative forums, proving how code can be utilized to enforce rules. As an example, an environment that wanted to make sure that newbie players were not PKed, could simply code in a no-kill flag that would be set on players who have played less than ten hours.
It is entirely possible for the development administration of an RPI to structure their code in such a fashion that it will weed out the majority of players looking for a quick-fix of interesting combat code. An application-based character creation system is one of the most proven methods of doing such, but there are a multitude of other options as well.
The trick of the RPI developer is to ensure that both their theme and code promotes interactivity between players. If it's neccessary to socialize in order to learn skills, advance in combat proficiency, and gain status or wealth, the enforcement of roleplaying suddenly is placed in the hands of the players. Essentially, it creates an upward spiral.
Take for example a simple organization/faction structure:
Player T(wink) wants to become a battle-master.
Player T must interact to find out that the city guard faction is one of the best places to learn battle skills.
Player T must meet with Player V(eteran) to join the city guard.
Player V provides an example of the RP requisite, through V's own roleplaying. If Player T adapts to this, he will be accepted into the guard. If T does not, he won't be.
T, not accepted into the city guard, is left with two options: learn the thematic information and make an effort to roleplay, or find another game.
Either way - you've solved your problem.
Thematic structure (in conjunction with code) also can play a major role. If, for example, Player T decided to run through the streets of a medieval city shouting about UFO's and Fox Mulder, the city guard should have the grounds to imprison T for lunacy. Player T learns from this, or he quits.
As Wes Platt once told me, "You won't be able to appeal to the hard-core RPers and think that you can cultivate the twinkish players at the same time."
There will be players who initially join the realm hopped up on ideas of mythic heroism promoted by pulp fantasy novels or video games. If they're willing to adapt to the environment and learn techniques to create believable characters and tell stories, they'll ask for help and follow the examples of other players. If they aren't interested, they'll leave. And this, though it sounds apathetic, is a very good thing.
As a final note, there will always be situations that require administrative involvement - if the world and code are developed correctly, however, this will be rare in an RPI, rather than essential.
Hope this helps!
Best,
Edward
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