Poll: Do you mind random encounters?

[Lieju]

Depends on how they're used. In something like pokemon, I like them, because running into the monsters in the crass is why I play the game, and there's always the chance I run into something rare.

But if I'm playing the game for the plot and have to fight the same monster again and again when I just want to go across the room to flip a lever or something, then it's annoying, and I'd prefer Tales-type of a system where you see the monsters on the map.

I think my rule is that if you have them you need to have a way of reducing or avoiding them completely.
Pokemon does it well, because the way repels work (They repel all wild pokemon that are lower level than your first)you can't use them to avoid challenge on new areas, but if you don't want to get in battles with lower-level pokemon you can avoid random encounters completely.

I wish you could enable/disable random encounters across all games. Like when you play Pokemon and want to level your pet army for a Gym Leader battle, turn it on and go running through a cave or field of grass. Then when you decide you're strong enough, you can disable it and get to where you need to be without snapping the handheld in half.

Buy a lot of repels.

 

[mechalynx]

I somewhat was OK with them when I was heavily into JRPGs. Nowadays I prefer that the enemy never sees me coming.

 

[lacktheknack]

I like them as long as the probability isn't too high and they turn the hell off when unwanted (ie. mid-puzzle).

That said, I do prefer the "bump into the enemy on the screen to fight" method.

 

[Elementary - Dear Watson]

It depends how slick the battle system is... and how varied. For something like FFX which had a nice battle system, where you would switch up characters/tactics depending on the enemy, then I wouldn't mind the battles... They would make up a big part of the game for me... Or a game like Resonance of Fate, where the battles were the best bit! I definitely didn't mind them then!

On the other hand, if you are in a big level, and the battles are dull and easy, then they can get on your tits! Say you are retracing in a level on a PS1-2 era JRPG, and you have to wait for the battles to load, and the battle intro to play.... then you beat it in 1-3 moves, and have to wait for the victory screen, just so you can run another 3-4 paces... that just breaks the flow of the game. Has anyone else done this before, and got so mind numbed from repetitive battles that they forgot what side quest you actually backtracked for, and had to sit and remember what you were doing?

 

[Zepherus14]

They can be annoying at times, but given the proper technique in executing them like in Twewy and Earthbound, they can be done right.

The World Ends with You: No true random encounters. Any encounters you fought were first decided by you, then you would get a random battle of noise of that category.

Earthbound: You would see the encounter on screen as a particular monster. If they touched you then you'd have a battle. However, if you could easily kill all the monsters in one turn without them attacking back, then the game would instantly call you the victor and not start the battle.

 

[veloper]

Don't mind the random, just hate the grinding that usually comes with it.

 

[GundamSentinel]

I don't much like them. I like to see what I'm going to face and to be able to choose not to face it or to change my preparation in advance. That's probably why FFXII is my favorite Final Fantasy game (and one of my all time favorite games, I might add).

 

[thespyisdead]

i'm ok with random encounters, as long as they don't happen EVERY. SINGLE. STEP! that's when i think they can go to hell!

 

[Vitor Vieira]

Random encounters is a wide term. If you mean those of RPG's (final fantasy or pokemon)I really dislike them as they do disrupt gameplay and get rather annoying pretty fast!

Then there are the modern random encounters (Red Dead Redemption or Skyrim) that happen when you are randomly exploring the land and a mission pops up and you can accept it or not. I Love those sort of encounters as they make the world feel more real and alive!

So it really depends on what encounters we're actually talking about!

 

[Syphous]

They are the scourge of JRPG's! I HATE THEM! HATE THEM!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Perhaps I am overreacting a bit. But my opinion does not change, I do really dislike them quite a bit good sir.

 

[Hero of Lime]

I don't mind them very much, it can be annoying if you're just trying to leave a room, or solve a puzzle while dealing with enemies interrupting your focus. Lots of RPGs do offer ways to lessen or stop random encounters if they annoy you too much. I would say that grinding is much easier when you can keep fighting as many enemies you want in one room. Of course if you don't like grinding, then this won't convince you anyway.

 

[dementis]

I don't mind them, they're a fun way to mix up a campaign in D&D and they help you level in console games so you're ready for the next challenge, I must say that invisible enemies are quite an irritating way for encounters. At least let the player attempt to spot the enemy so they have a choice.

I liked the way Persona 4 did it, the enemies were random but you could run past them of attack first for an advantage in combat. Reminds me of a high spot check in a campaign and ambushing the ambushers.

 

[Falseprophet]

I like random encounters. That being said I dislike JRPGs, and a lot of people who have said they hate random encounters have actively mentioned JRPGs in general and the FF series in particular - maybe the fault lies with the way those games handle random encounters, and not with random encounters themselves?

I think that's it. I bought the first two Ys games [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ys_(series)] during the current Steam Summer Sale, and they handle grinding/random encounters differently than every other JRPG I ever played. You attack enemies by running into them, trying to get them from behind or on an angle, because if you hit them head on they do damage. It's brilliant. I can run around the wilderness running into infinitely-respawning baddies for the better part of an hour with no break in flow.

Why weren't these games more popular? I vaguely remember hearing about them in the NES days, but they never got a fraction of the attention of Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior/Quest, or even Phantasy Star.

 

[josemlopes]

In games like Pokemon I dont like that much since it really stops the flow of the game, you are going someplace and bam, you have to wait for that 2 second intro animation and then select to leave to then progress again in your jorney to be soon again hit by another random encounter.

In games like STALKER I like it as it provides a sense of unease since anything can happen at anytime.

 

[Grouchy Imp_v1legacy]

I like random encounters. That being said I dislike JRPGs, and a lot of people who have said they hate random encounters have actively mentioned JRPGs in general and the FF series in particular - maybe the fault lies with the way those games handle random encounters, and not with random encounters themselves?

I think that's it. I bought the first two Ys games [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ys_(series)] during the current Steam Summer Sale, and they handle grinding/random encounters differently than every other JRPG I ever played. You attack enemies by running into them, trying to get them from behind or on an angle, because if you hit them head on they do damage. It's brilliant. I can run around the wilderness running into infinitely-respawning baddies for the better part of an hour with no break in flow.

Why weren't these games more popular? I vaguely remember hearing about them in the NES days, but they never got a fraction of the attention of Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior/Quest, or even Phantasy Star.

I'm not able to help on that one, I'm afraid my NES catalogue was very limited. It does seem however, going from what yourself and others have mentioned, that the type of random encounter that is welcomed is one that does not break the flow of the game. The mechanic seemingly most reviled is the type of encounter that interrupts and imposes itself on the normal gameplay rhythm.

It does seem strange then that such a seemingly unpopular mechanic would become so prevalent, but then again we aren't really the primary target audience for most Japanese developers, and it's pretty much an absolute certainty that on Japanese gaming websites there are threads bashing popular WRPG mechanics.

Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

 

[PinkiePyro]

I voted other...

I like random encounters within reason
I hate RPGs where its like completely random where and when

if they have some control to where/when then its fine
like in pokemon where they only appear in grass and caves
or in okami where enemys appear as scrolls