What do you think about random encounter?

[Knightshade]

Persona 3 or 4 anybody first the encounters were not random, you also had the ability to get the advantage when the battle started by swinging your weapon at the enemy on the map I just like the overall feel of this battle system more than a lot of others.(though as mentioned previously I don't mind random encounters as long as the rate is not extremely high.)

[Bennieboi20]

the one thing i enjoy about Final Fantasy XII and XIII-2 is that you have an oppourtunity to run from enemies if you so wish, on XII you were able to see the monsters on your mini map and had a choice to whether or not you wish to fight them, this makes it esspically nice if you are running through a high level area, plus the fact that there is no over world on XII, on XIII-2 however the monster encounters are random, but the enemies appear on the map when you are about to go into battle so if your quick enough you can escape without fighting, although there are some enemies that are to fast to escape from which can be annoying but i think its a well balanced encounter system there is also an abillity to lower the encounter rate or you can use a chocobo to avoid all encounters, but you can only obtain it when you finish the storyline in an area.

[nassory]

the one thing i enjoy about Final Fantasy XII and XIII-2 is that you have an oppourtunity to run from enemies if you so wish, on XII you were able to see the monsters on your mini map and had a choice to whether or not you wish to fight them, this makes it esspically nice if you are running through a high level area, plus the fact that there is no over world on XII, on XIII-2 however the monster encounters are random, but the enemies appear on the map when you are about to go into battle so if your quick enough you can escape without fighting, although there are some enemies that are to fast to escape from which can be annoying but i think its a well balanced encounter system there is also an abillity to lower the encounter rate or you can use a chocobo to avoid all encounters, but you can only obtain it when you finish the storyline in an area.

I can agree with FFXIII-2, especially on Academia 400AF where you HAVE to fight every single Fal'Cie to get to the Fencers or even just their beastary info.

In my opinion, on some RPG games I like random encounters that has a "Rare" encounters but sometimes I'm sick of it so I think I'm in between

[Pokemongenius]

Ever since i played Tales of Destiny i have to say non random encounter instead i prefer you see the enemies on the map screen like Dragon Quest IX i had a funner experience that way and less stressful.

[Bennieboi20]

I can agree with FFXIII-2, especially on Academia 400AF where you HAVE to fight every single Fal'Cie to get to the Fencers or even just their beastary info.

In my opinion, on some RPG games I like random encounters that has a "Rare" encounters but sometimes I'm sick of it so I think I'm in between

although in saying about Academia 400AF the link bridge that gets destroyed whilst chasing Caius makes a worth while training spot, you get a spawn every 1-2 seconds but no more than 3 mobs appear at a time, only problem is the fast flying ones, they are a bitch to try and get a preemptive strike on, gonna make a FFXIII-2 thread for people who have completed the main storyline i think

[eternal_w]

In Lufia 2: The Rise of Sinistrals you really have a choice whether to fight or not an enemy cause you can see them on the screen... you can even stun them to avoid fighting it.

[John02]

Love it in some games, while in others, it gets annoying really quickly. Xenogears for example. When you need to run and jump across something and the random encounter happens, you won't jump at all and you'll fall down to a lower level. It gets old pretty quickly.

[Zetshiro]

It all depends on how well its done.

Games like Breath of Fire & Final Fantasy IV can be frustrating because the random encounter feels so erratic and perpetual, but games like Suikoden and the early Tales of games feels much more consistent.
'Same could be said about games where you can see the enemy on screen--I found that games like SaGa II just doesn't work while Chrono Trigger does.

Though, in all, I actually prefer it when a game has random encounters compared to anything else.

[Iamerror]

I don't mind random encounter when I'm leveling up. I usually spend a lot of time leveling up in a game. But when it gets ridiculous and I can't walk two steps without fighting, I get annoyed. Final Fantasy 8 had a junction where you could turn off random encounters. I believe it was Diablos that had that ability. If it's done right, it's not really a problem. Sometimes it makes the game almost unplayable.

[Jazzmarazz]

Magic of Scheherazade. Random encounter AND real time battles.
If you think just one or the other is annoying...

[Ric8789]

It works for a lot of games but overall I prefer for battles not to be random.

[shin kai]

As others have pointed out, it works better on some games and not so much on others. Pokemon for example seems so good the way it is as random encounters (but I'd be interested to see if Game Freak makes it non random and have it still work). On the other hand Kingdom Hearts is another favorite series of mine and perhaps it's the real-time battle system where non-random battles make the most sense.

[Spose']

They are kinda fundamental for the RPG games that need decent amount of experience to level up because its either wait for a re-spawn or have to run back and forth to grind like in FXIII (13) . It saves a lot of time and helps you level up while getting where you need to go.

[Bennieboi20]

As others have pointed out, it works better on some games and not so much on others. Pokemon for example seems so good the way it is as random encounters (but I'd be interested to see if Game Freak makes it non random and have it still work). On the other hand Kingdom Hearts is another favorite series of mine and perhaps it's the real-time battle system where non-random battles make the most sense.

they did in pokemon mystery dungon... look how that turned out

[akeley]

Like many said before here, it`s a matter of balance. If done right, they`re ok - support grinding and elevate tension. It all depends on a game I think - can`t imagine another system in Etrian Odyssey for example. On the other hand Eye Of The Beholder had visible monsters. Different styles of gameplay though.

But they can also be mega annoying when man just wants to explore a bit in peace. For me the most infuriating example would be original Skies Of Arcadia - they really overdid it there...

My pet peeve though, is when random battles are still brought up in arguments of the "why jRpgs suck" sort. As if times didn`t change - most of the recent ones have avoidable encounters. Also people tend to forget it was actually wRpgs that first came up with the idea.