I am pleased to announce that design phase one of the RL Engine has 
finished and development is now underway. The first piece, a component 
that manages the Engine add-ins, is nearly complete. 

The next major milestone is to build a UI that will contain a game that 
uses the RL Engine: The RL Engine is a tool that powers the interactions 
in a game world. It can support any UI, including one as graphically robust 
as Diablo or Zelda. To begin with, players will experience a traditional 
tile based world. 

The UI will be much more than a game interface. It will provide: 

- Chat rooms giving players a forum to discuss all things Roguelike.
- A Free Form RGP interface, allowing players to play traditional RPGs 
  online.
- Web links to developers who have created themes for the engine.
- Web links to writers who have written stories for the engine (*).
- And of course, all the multiplayer Rogulike action a soul can handle.
 
The first four features will be available to the public well before the 
last, which will give players a firsthand look at the game, and a place 
to give feedback as the game is being built.

* The second design phase, which will begin shortly, is the incorporation
  of a Story Engine. The Story Engine is a robust tool that powers 
  dynamic, non-linear stories in a game. Like the RL Engine, the Story 
  Engine is a tool and not part of the UI package, so it can be 
  incorporated into any program. 

I continue to look forward to hearing from everyone who has ideas or comments, 

- Benjamin [bwaite@aisinfo.com]