Random Encounters: Archaic nonsense or scrappy fun-time!

[Wolf Kanno]

So we've all played RPGs, we've all most likely encountered random encounters one time or another, so how do you feel about them? Do you hate them? Happy they are being fazed out? Miss them? Never understood the hate? Indifferent? Talk about the pros and cons of one of the oldest RPG conventions.

[Jiro]

I think they have a place, but I do think that there are other options, like encountering enemies on the map and transitioning into a battle. Giving the player more choice in when they want to fight is excellent.

[black orb]

>>> Kind of annoying, I guess it was a reasonable solution for the old school RPGs, but we dont need them anymore..:luca:

[Skyblade]

>>> Kind of annoying, I guess it was a reasonable solution for the old school RPGs, but we dont need them anymore..:luca:

The gaming community believes otherwise, as the incredible success of Bravely Default might indicate.

That said, I think that being able to manipulate the encounter rate was a great addition to these. I like random encounters, but sometimes the encounter rate can be out of whack.

The only other system I've seen that's nearly as good for RPGs is Chrono Trigger's encounter system, which was also brilliant.

[Quindiana Jones]

I doubt the gaming community makes purchasing decisions off of the presence of random encounters, to be honest.

[NeoCracker]

Hell yeah I like Random encounters. Usually.

I'm glad there are more games that do other things to add variety.

[Miss Mae]

I've never been a fan of random encounters. It's really irrational just how repetitive and disruptive I find them, considering I tend to happily seek out battles just as frequently as I would randomly encounter them in games that allow me to do so. Something about the act of deliberately entering a battle just feels nicer to me than having fifteen things jump out and slow me down when I'm trying to get from A to B.

[Vermachtnis]

It's completely situational. If I'm almost dead and trying to get to town and shits getting in my way, then yeah random encounters can go suck a knob. But on the other hand, if I'm grinding and all I have to do is run around in circles then yeah I love random encounters.

Also, random encounter+lack of save points+work in 15 min=a very bad time.

[NeoCracker]

It's completely situational. If I'm almost dead and trying to get to town and shits getting in my way, then yeah random encounters can go suck a knob.

...So basically you like Random Encounters when they make your game easier, but dislike them when they challange and give you a loss when you failed to properly prepare for the challange?

*runs away before the stabbing ensues*

[Scotty_ffgamer]

I always used to like them, and I would have been a big defender of them from the days of FFVII - X. Now I feel like if random encounters are going to be in a game, there should be a way to manipulate encounter rates and such from the get go like Bravely Default. In most RPGs I've played, the enemies in random encounters are generally really easy for most of the game. It doesn't really add much challenge for me. They just exist to be able to grind.

[Vermachtnis]

It's completely situational. If I'm almost dead and trying to get to town and trouts getting in my way, then yeah random encounters can go suck a knob.

...So basically you like Random Encounters when they make your game easier, but dislike them when they challange and give you a loss when you failed to properly prepare for the challange?

*runs away before the stabbing ensues*

Don't get me wrong, I love a good challenge. If I'm trying to explore and end up tripping over the eldrich abomination of the week every two steps in a cave; that is not a good challenge. And that's just what happens, I enter a new area and go exploring for treasure and I encounter the Super Mega Ultra Death Marlboro Tonberry MkIII and after a tough fight I take two steps and fight the same damn thing again and again. And then I fight a fluffy bunny...that teamed up with the Super Mega Ultra Death Marlboro Tonberry MkIII and they fuse to make the Uber Super Mega Ultra Death Marlboro Tonberry MkIII and after those three fights I'm low on supplies, but luckily I'm only three fucking feet from the exit. And then I take one step backwards and I'm ambushed by the Uber Super Mega Ultra Death Marlboro Tonberry MkIV Omega Weapon and it opens with the "No fucking way you're surviving this laser" laser.

[Ayen]

I never liked them. I tolerate them and they don't keep me from playing the good RPGs that uses them, but I don't enjoy them. Ooh, what's th--? Random encounter. How about we go--? Random encounter. A treasure che--! Random encounter. Now I can open the treasure chest. *opens treasure chest*

Random encounter.

[Flaming Ice]

*runs away before the stabbing ensues*



Cat and mouse......hide and seek makes it more fun!





I think encountering enemies on the field is just as annoying.....You try to run away and they're quick so you have to battle them anyways...or you waste time trying to get around them when you could have beat them in that time...


Plus, sometimes with random encounters there can be ways in game to change the amount of encounters you face (items equipment or w/e).



Also, for field encounters it depends on how they do it...sometimes you'll clear a room and all of a sudden monsters are back after returning to that room, but other times you have no enemies come back at all until you leave the dungeon completely (which can be annoying if you are raising levels...especially if you only need 1 exp to level up and then you need to leave the dungeon for 1 exp :tongue:)



*opens treasure chest*

Random encounter.


That's not random...thief :|

[Ayen]

That's not random...thief :|

lol!

Seriously though, I can't remember which game it was but I can remember opening a treasure chest and having to a fight a monster that was inside it. Sneaky game is sneaky.

[Flaming Ice]

That's not random...thief :|

lol!

Seriously though, I can't remember which game it was but I can remember opening a treasure chest and having to a fight a monster that was inside it. Sneaky game is sneaky.


3XOgres jump out of chest 3x smaller than them....magic~!


But some of the chests are the monsters too ~.~

I think quite a few of the FF games have that though.

[Shorty]

I find them disruptive, but I think they have their place.

[Skyblade]

I doubt the gaming community makes purchasing decisions off of the presence of random encounters, to be honest.

When I wrote that, I thought black orb was saying that we didn't need old school RPGs anymore. Just the way I read his post.

Stupid pronouns.

[Jessweeee♪]

Sometimes I like them, sometimes I don't. I hate really high encounter rates and I like it when games provide you with a means of avoiding encounters.

[Miss Mae]

That's not random...thief :|

lol!

Seriously though, I can't remember which game it was but I can remember opening a treasure chest and having to a fight a monster that was inside it. Sneaky game is sneaky.

This happens in Might and Magic X: Legacy (which I'm playing at the moment). There are barrels that sometimes contain liquids to boost your stats (because how could drinking from a random barrel in the middle of a dungeon go wrong?) and sometimes they have spiders living in them instead. It's bundles of fun (not). A bunch of the treasure chests are guarded by a crowd of nasty creatures with a sixth sense so they know precisely when you touched their things and that want you dead too.

[Shauna]

I don't mind them. I find there are better ways to do battles, but random ones on an overworld is fine.

However, when the encounter rate is not just right, it can be the most frustrating thing. Too high? Ugh can't move a step without getting into a battle. Too low? That boss you're struggling to beat? Good luck leveling up to beat him. A nice balance (or like in Bravely Default with the adjustable scale).

[NeoCracker]

It's completely situational. If I'm almost dead and trying to get to town and trouts getting in my way, then yeah random encounters can go suck a knob.

...So basically you like Random Encounters when they make your game easier, but dislike them when they challange and give you a loss when you failed to properly prepare for the challange?

*runs away before the stabbing ensues*

Don't get me wrong, I love a good challenge. If I'm trying to explore and end up tripping over the eldrich abomination of the week every two steps in a cave; that is not a good challenge. And that's just what happens, I enter a new area and go exploring for treasure and I encounter the Super Mega Ultra Death Marlboro Tonberry MkIII and after a tough fight I take two steps and fight the same damn thing again and again. And then I fight a fluffy bunny...that teamed up with the Super Mega Ultra Death Marlboro Tonberry MkIII and they fuse to make the Uber Super Mega Ultra Death Marlboro Tonberry MkIII and after those three fights I'm low on supplies, but luckily I'm only three fucking feet from the exit. And then I take one step backwards and I'm ambushed by the Uber Super Mega Ultra Death Marlboro Tonberry MkIV Omega Weapon and it opens with the "No fucking way you're surviving this laser" laser.

I can not think of a single game that get's anywhere remotely near that bad. And if you recall, I've played a lot of RPG's. Like, most of my gaming since I was 5 has been RPG's. :p

[Spuuky]

I like random encounters, if dungeons are designed correctly for them.

[Del Murder]

I like pseudo-random encounters like in the recent Dragon Quest games where the enemies randomly appear on the screen shortly before running into your party and starting the battle.

[Flaming Ice]

I like pseudo-random encounters like in the recent Dragon Quest games where the enemies randomly appear on the screen shortly before running into your party and starting the battle.


Sometimes they appear way too close :cry:


Oh I hate when enemies stalk you >.>

*I'm running away leave me alone !...runs into a corner of the map that should have had a no exit sign......*

[Vermachtnis]

It's completely situational. If I'm almost dead and trying to get to town and trouts getting in my way, then yeah random encounters can go suck a knob.

...So basically you like Random Encounters when they make your game easier, but dislike them when they challange and give you a loss when you failed to properly prepare for the challange?

*runs away before the stabbing ensues*

Don't get me wrong, I love a good challenge. If I'm trying to explore and end up tripping over the eldrich abomination of the week every two steps in a cave; that is not a good challenge. And that's just what happens, I enter a new area and go exploring for treasure and I encounter the Super Mega Ultra Death Marlboro Tonberry MkIII and after a tough fight I take two steps and fight the same damn thing again and again. And then I fight a fluffy bunny...that teamed up with the Super Mega Ultra Death Marlboro Tonberry MkIII and they fuse to make the Uber Super Mega Ultra Death Marlboro Tonberry MkIII and after those three fights I'm low on supplies, but luckily I'm only three fucking feet from the exit. And then I take one step backwards and I'm ambushed by the Uber Super Mega Ultra Death Marlboro Tonberry MkIV Omega Weapon and it opens with the "No fucking way you're surviving this laser" laser.

I can not think of a single game that get's anywhere remotely near that bad. And if you recall, I've played a lot of RPG's. Like, most of my gaming since I was 5 has been RPG's. :p

Maybe it's just my dumb luck then. I have horrible luck with random encounters. Take Final Fantasy X for example, the first seven fights inside sin were Adamantoise. I know because I counted. And still on Final Fantasy, the last time I played I, I encountered a Warmech like two steps into the floor. But that extends into games with preexisting encounters too. In Persona 4, red shadows everywhere and like every other chest I opened was ambush. So that thing ToriJ mentioned totally does happen.

[NeoCracker]

P4 aren't really random encounters,at least not in the vein this thread is talking about. :p

FF X not a single fight in that game really gave me trouble, except that one airship fight where I was so use to spamming Yuna's summons to breeze through everything that when I suddenly didn't have her I forgot what my other characters could actually do. XD

[Vermachtnis]

That's why I said games with preexisting encounters. Gleesh learn to read! :mad2:

And it's not that the Adamantoise was hard, just that I had to fight it seven times in a row right out of the gate.

[Bolivar]

I like them!!!

[NeoCracker]

That's why I said games with preexisting encounters. Gleesh learn to read! :mad2:

And it's not that the Adamantoise was hard, just that I had to fight it seven times in a row right out of the gate.

Pft, reading, like tha'ts a skill that will ever come up.

And if it wasn't hard, then I don't know why you brought it up, as the point I was arguing against was the one about the exaggerated doom fights constantly happening. :p

Repeat encounters can happen sometimes, but you're always more likely to remember the outliers then the norm. Yeah, it's easy too recall those times where you faced the same encounter seven times in a row, but you remember it because it's sticks out in your mind.

You're not going to be recalling that time things happened perfectly normally, because nothing about that sticks out.