Which do you prefer visible Enemies or Non-visible enemies?

[kaleemmcintyre]

I don't know if this has been asked, as I didn't see it when running a search, but I wanted to know whether players preferred visible encounters or non-visible encounters?

Your answer is very important so please be as detailed with your response as you can as it will impact the making of future games.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

well, I'd say it really depends on how well it fits your game...

 

[Shaz]

I detest random/invisible encounters. I've rarely seen anyone say they like them. If you planned them very carefully, they might be more tolerable that a lot of games that use them, but I still prefer enemies I can see and choose whether or not to fight.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

well, yeah... if you're gonna use random encounters, make sure they're not like every step causes an encounter, but also not like you need 50 steps before an encounter...


anyway, on other consoles, I like random encounters mainly because I like grinding on those too... but on all RM games that I played so far, grinding is quite boring (mainly because fights doesn't proceed as fast) so I prefer visible encounters in RM games...

 

[deaddrift]

ive been thinking about this too..

whichever way you choose will dramatically change how your character will gain XP..

with random/invisible enemies you know you will be fighting alot, but with visible enemies a player can run pretty far without ever having to fight unless you block passageways with enemies

the best thing for me about random encounters is the random part, you can program in very small percentage chance to have easter egg enemies appear as well as rare enemies

 

[kerbonklin]

Out of all the research i've done reading past topics, most people prefer visible evented. But try to make them interesting though, like styles of spawning, or maybe specials ways to interact with them to initiate battles.

Like for example, in my project I have field-skills that can attack evented-battle sprites, stunning them to initiate an auto-preemptive. (But oh man was it complicated to make)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APUa0lHXFfo

 

[Venka]

definitely visible encounters, however, I don't mind some areas having random encounters. I believe there are ways to make visible encounters, but they produce a random battle as well.

 

[Lars Ulrika]

In my project I did finally the choice to do random visible enemies! What I mean through that : 

- The amount of enemies that will spawn on the map will vary.

- When you touch one, you'll have a random troop set by the map random encounter thing. 

This way you can still include rare enemies, rare drops etc without the invisible encounter harassment. I make them look like shadows to show who is hostile and who isn't (many enemies are humanoid tribes having hostile and non-hostile members so I had to distinguish.....and well...it's more convenient graphically )

@Venka : you have an option in events to start a "random encounter battle". 

 

[cabfe]

If you want (or need) to explore a map, having random enemies can be really tedious, especially if you're low on health and have no Flee option .

 

[Kes]

I have given the player the choice at the beginnings of the game so that way it I'd the player who decides which they prefer.

In a couple of places there are visible enemies e, g, to ensure that the player has to fight an enemy to gain access to Somerset.

 

[Shades]

I'll roll with either one, but I expect my games to use a mix of both.

 

[Another Ned]

Depends on the game and how well it's balanced, though I usually prefer visible enemies.
But having limited random encounters per area (like in indie game Cthulhu Saves The World) and a system in place where you get some HP/MP back after a battle is a way of using random encounters I can have fun with.
On the other hand, visible enemies that are set to approach the player and initiate a battle on Event Touch without ever stopping their pursuit can be pretty annoying, too.

Really depends on how its made.

 

[MiracleMare]

I definitely prefer visible.

Random encounters usually put a pit of dread in my stomach. Little dramatic, I know, but I'm tired and full of caffeine! xP

 

[Archeia]

I don't mind either way. But I detest visible encounters if they are freaking fast anyway and unavoidable to evade. Might as well make them a random encounter.

 

[Samsonite]

I like the random/invisible encounters. I hate knowing an enemy is there to fight. The only visible encounters I like are the boss, minor boss, and the sometimes special encounters. Having the random/invisible encounters makes a game more challenging: you have to make sure you prepare yourself for a huge dungeon before going in. I like the unpredictability.

 

[OM3GA-Z3RO]

Why not use both???

If I remembered, there is a script that gives you a encounter map, you can't see the enemies in the actual game but in the map there is red dots that move around and if as time goes by the red dots start to pursue you, when a red dot touches your dot a battle occurs. Once the battle is over all the dots in the map is reset. OOOOOOH that reminds me I need to get that script.

 

[Andar]

For me, it depends on the type of game.

Generally speaking, random and invisible enemies have several drawbacks and turn the game often into a grinding game, especially if they're very frequent.

However, for a Horror-Game I would prefer random battles to evented/visible battles, because in a horror-game, the shock of sudden combat (when done correctly) is an important game element.

In exploration-type games I would prefer evented, visible enemies with the option of going around or escaping them - but not if that is too easy or too difficult. The player should not be able to escape every combat, but the enemies should also not be so fast/tricky that seeing an enemy event is the same as battling it.

It all depends on how you implement those ideas.

 

[West Mains]

I like random encounters. It feels more like a traditional tbs rpg that way. 

 

[Jesso217]

I despise enemies that just pop up out of nowhere. It grows old fast, especially if battle three enemies at ones and take heavy damage only to do it again every three steps. I rather have an enemy I can see and possibly avoid. 

 

[Kes]

I think these last few replies illustrate the issue very well.

Players will have very different preferences and it simply is not possible to please everyone. So why not do as I suggest and give the player the choice? Mega easy to set up and end of problem. There is, imo, no contest here. Allow the player to pick the mode which they prefer.