Do you prefer random encounters in RPGs or being able to see the monster on the field?

[Magical Glace]

If my party is in low health and I have a random encounter, the chance is very high to have a total wipe out and to lose the game progress.

I don't like to waste time in things I don't want like in unnecessary battles and I'm no fan of replaying stuff after a total defeat, so I prefer to have visuable enemies.

The random encounters are one of the reasons, why I don't like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy as much as other series like Persona or Tales of which have monsters on the field.

Some DQ games use visible on field encounters, IX for DS as well as the 3DS remakes of VII and VIII.

[MisterIceTeaPeach]

OMG, I played IX a bit and I can't even remember on visuable enemies on the field.

[Magical Glace]

OMG, I played IX a bit and I can't even remember on visuable enemies on the field.

...How far did you get, then? It's pretty obvious that the encounters aren't random.

Also, though it's not out yet, both the PS4 and 3DS versions of DQXI utilize visible encounter systems. Though in the 3DS version, they're only visible in the "new" mode, and are not seen in "SNES" mode.

[Topaz Light]

I don't mind random encounters, but I prefer visible-on-the-map enemies because there's more that can be done with them, mechanically.

For example, in EarthBound and Mother 3, who gets the first strike in battle isn't random, but is instead determined by whether or not either party caught the other from behind, and if neither party did, it's a regular encounter with no preemptive strike for either side.

I also like how those two games handle formations of multiple enemies; instead of having each enemy on the field represent a whole formation, they each represent just one enemy, and when you get into an encounter, other nearby enemies will rush over and team up to comprise the enemy formation you fight. It's really neat, actually.

Not to mention EarthBound also worked in a system for instant wins if you would've wiped out the enemies in a single turn anyway, to save you time without depriving you of the rewards you would've gotten.

Now that I think about it, EarthBound was actually really innovative and made a lot of strides in how it handled enemy encounters. I kinda wish more games followed in its footsteps in that regard.

Additionally, in the Paper Mario games, you can get in a single preemptive attack by hitting enemies with an offensive action on the field, causing the battle to open with you hitting them with whatever attack you used. Naturally, they can also do the same to you.

Things like this are really interesting and make it a lot more fun to encounter enemies while also providing the option to avoid fights if you want to, so as much as I grew up playing lots of games with random encounters and don't actually mind them at all, I absolutely think preexisting field encounters are preferable due to having a lot more potential to provide interesting and fun gameplay.

(Which is also why it's a little disappointing to me whenever there's a game that uses preexisting encounters but just has them work like, "Come into physical contact with the enemy sprite/model to enter an encounter against an enemy formation with that foe in it. That's it." Talk about wasted potential.)

Edited August 15, 2016 by Topaz Light

[Zanarkin]

random encounters can be reaaaally annoying. Being able to avoid them is far better! Sometimes its just too late and you want to get to a save point as fast as possible, instead of staying an extra hour or 2 getting to the town which should have been 5 minutes away. This is specially bad near the end of FF10 where enemies get so much health, but you can't necessarily spam the heavy hitting spells because you don't have that 1 mp cost equipment.

Thank god for the re-release version's No-encounter button (and speed *4!)

Edited August 16, 2016 by SlayerX

[Lady Sansa]

I kinda like seeing enemies on the map so that way I can avoid uneeded battles.

Except most of the time you can't even avoid them.

[Kirie]

Always hated random encounters, so visible monsters for sure, please.

That said, if you're going to go random, I really like the Bravely Default/Second method of being able to adjust the encounter rate. You can turn them completely off for a challenge or just to get through some areas quicker, turn them up high for ease of farming/grinding, or anything in between.

[MCProductions]

Random encounter is a sin that should be banished by now.

This, pretty much

[DragonFlames]

Yeah, having an inescapable Overpowered ennemy encounter in Dungeon Travelers 2 was the worst thing. Thankfully, it let you save at any time.

Encounters aren't actually that random in EO, since you have the "scan" that shows you if monsters are close. (A good way not to be ambushed the aforementioned FOE.)

Ugh, tell me about it. The amount of times I suddenly ran into something my characters couldn't kill almost turned me off from that game (Dungeon Travelers 2, that is.)

I know, there's this little radar on the side of the screen that tells you whenever monsters are close by. One thing I hate in EO is running into a monster group while an F.O.E. is nearby and suddenly fighting a group of monsters along with an F.O.E....

I had my fair share of restarts is what I'm saying.

[Lethakitty]

I have started to play Xillia 2 and yes I love being able to see where monsters you need to hunt for quests are.

[TempestStorm]

For me it depends on the game. In a game like Persona or Earthbound I love the visible enemies. But in FF or Pokemon I prefer random, as it adds the extra level of challenge without superbuffing. Persona 4 handles visibles perfectly imo. You don't know what it is, only how powerful it is compared to you.

As for DQ I prefer it like VIII. Too easy to avoid enemies in IX. I'm voting for random because it's what I prefer but I like visible when done right

[Lyn]

I prefer visible encounters. Don't always want to fight.