Welcome to my second post of the series about random concepts/terms used by RPG fans. Today I'll talk about enemies in RPGs.
Most traditional RPGs are story based games that put the player in control of a hero with the world at stake. Typically they have to journey through the world, and the earlier games symbolized the dangers of that journey with Random Encounters. Though as technology improved games increasingly showed enemies on the field.
Random Enemies history goes well before the video games age. For example, the table-top RPG Dungeons & Dragons had them, maybe that's why the first JRPG based on it (which was Dragon Quest) used the Random Encounter system, just like it used the same damage calculation system of D&D.
Random Encounters
A random encounter is a feature commonly used in various role-playing games whereby encounters with non-player character (NPC) enemies or other dangers occur sporadically and at random. In general, random encounters are used to simulate the challenges associated with being in a hazardous environment.
-- Wikipedia
The oldest type of enemy encounters in traditional JRPGs is the random ones, when you're exploring the map for a while, the scene changes into battle view and you're given random enemies (inhabiting the current area) to fight.
Random encounters are random in the respect that players cannot anticipate the exact moment of encounter or what will be encountered.
This type of Enemy Encounters usually happens too randomly or too frequently. With some RPGs giving items to decrease the frequency of those battles (like Pokemon's Repel item) for short periods of time. Some games like Bravely Default gives the player the option to decrease/increase Random Encounters frequency at any time through the game.
Random Encounters usually frustrate the player at some point during the game, especially when the player wants to explore without getting annoyed by too strong or too easy enemies. Maybe that's why the game industry have moved away from such system.
Enemies on Field
Some RPGs have the Random Enemies appear on the map, moving to a battle screen on the encounter. The enemies are placed on the map either by generating a set number of enemies at random locations in each area, or by making the enemies appear in specific locations & re-appear sometime after they are defeated.
Chrono Trigger, one of the first game with non-random encounters.
With most of the games using this system give the player the ability to choose when to fight or avoid enemies, letting players explore more freely. This system is used more and more in the recent years. Recent RPGs also started to move to the battles on the same maps as exploration (Final Fantasy XII) which would make more sense to use a system like this.
Etrian Odyssey series is famous for having both Random Encounters & F.O.E (Field Enemies) at the same time, making for both avoidable extra hard battles, and unavoidable easier ones.
Scripted Encounters
These battles that happen as a part of the story. In games with Random Encounters, this mostly means Boss fights. Some games don't have random battles at all, with all the fights in the game 'scripted' in a story-like manner, but those are mostly not RPGs.
~ Garland, Final Fantasy I ~
Earliest games have shown Bosses on the map, symbolizing their importance.
Random Enemies exist for reasons, and one of them is that you can only do a set number of Scripted Enemies, because there's always a technological & financial barrier that prevents it. But it also makes them more memorable by comparison.
Conclusion
Traditional RPGs & even non-traditional ones have improved "Enemy Encounter" systems with each new game, even before the video games era. By now, most of the games have avoided the Random Encounters due to the technological advancements and the new generations of players.
What do you think?
If you played games with them how long do they take to frustrate you?
Do you like Visible Enemies better?
I look forward to your comments.
RPG Concepts Series:
Episode 2: Enemy Encounters