Random Encounters ........ Enough Already

But none of us really know what devs are doing with random encounters at the moment, perhaps just checking frequency, perhaps trying to figure out some bug in generating process or any other bug involving random encounters for that matter. They might be collecting statistic on what players really doing in the encounter, they might be balancing resources.... Well I can keep on mentioning reasons why devs might want random encounters in the game even tough they are not so fleshed out at the moment but we must give them time to figure things out to make great encounters once the game go live.

My whole point from the beginning was was that you do not gain anything by saying "Please disable the feature, or at least give us an opt-out". It would be much better with a constructive approach that several players have shown in this thread.

 

Morkul, even if they somehow perfect REs in future releases, I still want an opt-out, just to be clear. Again, just because you don't agree with the conclusion doesn't mean the commentary isn't constructive.

If you wreck the playing experience for too many people during pre-alpha in the name of testing, then you might just have a pyrrhic victory on your hands.

I don't make comments on game mechanics just for kicks; I make them because I want the game to be better. Like all of us.

 

But as SotA is a RPG where story's will contentiously develop all around the world. Different places will have higher risk of encounters that others. Devs can even change whole scenes to for the story, that is one of the point with the dual map on the first place.

So if a story starts up with a band of robbers harassing travellers on a certain spot, there for increasing the random encounters with the bandits. Depending on that happens will this risk increase or if enough players try to exterminate those robbers the risk will go away. Some how some player would be able to escape the risk of robbers attacking them and therefore side set the whole story?

As I said before I understand that you can run from some encounters, evade others but you should not in my opinion be completely safe, it's not a safe world you are playing in. To be honest I do not think you will get your "opt-out" of random encounters from devs just due to the whole sorry telling witch is the largest part of SotA in the first place.


Edit: Being able to opt-out from random encounters makes as much sense as opt-out of any combat that many crafter's want to, just be able to collect their ore without anything attacking them.

 

The loading screens are my biggest frustration with the game overall. This will improve over time, but if the wait is too long I'm going to be put off this game very quickly. I'm fine with random encounters, but as the OP points out it needs to be worth the disruption.

 

I agree, despite the fact that there are some that may like the RE, we that don't should still have the option to avoid them. I have no problem with those that like them and wouldn't want to avoid them, and they really should have no issue with those of us that want to be able to avoid them (and the load screens). It does nothing to interfere with their gameplay, so why would someone care if we want an opt-out button?

 

Yea loading times must come down to about 10 sec or else the game will be doomed anyway's.

 

I can't wait until they introduce Roving Encounters on the overworld. Rage Quit threads will sky rocket here.

You exit Ardoris for a leisurely stroll to Solania.
You get pulled into a Random Encounter within a few steps. Frustration +1.
You exit and continue along your path along the road and slow down for no reason, as if you were walking in swampland. Frustration +2.
You see a Roving Encounter and try to run but you are walking when you should be running as it's a paved road. Frustration +3.
While trying to escape the Roving Encounter, you get pulled into a Random Encounter. Frustration +4.
You exit and the Roving Encounter has now caught up to you and you get pulled into that. /rage quit

Enjoy the sausage, folks.

 

??? Wrong, and illogical, as Spock would say. There is a cavernous difference between simply avoiding certain scenes and enabling people to gather resources without risk.

 

But avoiding certain scenes is just the same thing as avoid some kind of risk. AS I said if there is a band of robbers harassing a village with a 40% chance of random encounters there and thereby prises for certain goods will increase would mean that someone that opt-out of random encounters would be enabled to make gold with no risk whatsoever. So yes it's exactly the same thing.

 

Captain Jack's first thoughts as playing the older Ultimas recently were he cannot remember any random encounters. The games with dual scale maps, and mono, all had representatives of enemy groups or were individual encounters. None of them were random(were they?), like the Final Fantasy or Dragon Warrior games for example.

Captain Jack does not know how this came about, and believes Budner is quite correct in suggesting that it is a drag. Simply put, if one person feels it is a drag, then so are others(like Captain Jack) and that alone should be enough to give the Devs a pause. Tip of the iceberg stuff.

What would be interesting, specifically speaking, is that each hex had a status indicator. This status indicator could represent and compare to the "avatar" of the enemy groups from the past Ultima games. The indicator could indicate any number of things, for example that the hex is currently experiencing heavy PvE attack, under heavy PvP attack, or it could represent prosperity events, social events, any number of things. Then players know, if you enter that hex, there is a chance of something happening.

Random encounter pulls the way they are currently in the game will not last as is, it isn't a good or sustainable feature, Captain Jack expects this is just the very foundation of the system and they needed to check if it worked before adding the layers of complexity we all wish to see with this.

 

The problem with Random Encounters (and soon Roving Encounters) is that they are completely random. If they are instead triggered or have basis on some local, regional, or global events, and actually have meaning, it gives us a better understanding of why they're occurring and/or how to avoid them. Currently there is zero meaning to them. Thus, they are in no way meaningful and are the source of frustration for many.

If we were told, in-game, that the roads were now more dangerous because of some event, we'd understand. Or more specifically, that we hear of some bad activity on the roads between Ardoris and Solace Bridge, we'd understand why they're happening there (and nowhere else), either via Roving or Random encounters. Or, if we're told by the local inhabitants of Watercliff to avoid the roads around Restless Woods at night, we'd understand. Maybe have the guards posted at each scene exit bark at you about where you might be subjected to REs -- and fix REs so they only occur there vs being completely random? And maybe, just maybe, there are quests related to how often REs are triggered in certain areas, thus giving more meaning to the quests we do and how we affect the world? I mean, we already have quests about clearing out the undead in Ravensmoor so the trade routes can resume...perhaps something like that could reduce (or stop, if only temporarily) REs in certain areas?

Instead, there is zero supporting content to give meaning or more critically, meaningful gameplay to Random Encounters. Instead, it's completely random and they've thrown in random resources in these scenes to make us feel better for being subjected to it.

I can see Roving Encounters replacing Random Encounters (as they exist now) in the future. And then Random Encounters being truly meaningful and rewarding experiences that we actually look forward to happening to us. Until then, they should turn off Random Encounters once they put in Roving Encounters. At least then you have some sanity and chance to avoid them...well, until you get slowed down by the buggy terrain issues. If they put in both without addressing at least some of these issues, then it will play out exactly as I described in my previous post.

 

Trying to complete the tour quests and having these pop up... literally smacking my forehead in frustration. WHY?!?!?!

 

Right now random encounters are little more than a repetitive time-sink. I wouldn't mind them so much if they served a purpose. If sometimes you got dragged in because there was say, a caravan broken down on the road and you had the option of offering them help, escorting them or even looting them. Or say you got dragged in because you stumbled across a fellow adventurer (a random NPC of course) who didn't make it and you have the option of pilfering his wolf-eaten corpse of valuables. It wouldn't have to always be a boring combat encounter. So this could make an opt out feature, if made available, carry some degree of risk. So, sure..you can opt out of the encounter but as a small penalty you risk missing potential interaction with say a traveling salesman. I think being able to opt out of a random encounter with no penalty involved is just sort of having your cake and eating it too. A little more variety to the random combat encounters wouldn't hurt either. All that said, however, if the load-in and out times aren't drastically reduced, any type of random encounters will only serve to greatly hinder the game.

 

Right now the encounters are to frequent to my likings but that is easy fix.

Once devs get everything in place encounters will serve a purpose. If you listen to what devs have said about the encounters so far will they play into several different storys, build up of unrest in one of them but other things like that where number of encounters made in a certain region will matter (as a measure how many number of travellers) and if you where able to opt-out from thing like that the story for others will change on a way that don't reflect what's really happening. Also by opt-out you will be able to permanently avoid a risk factor (few examples made before in this thread) where you will be able to profit from that.

But at the end: This is a role-playing game where pack of world are roaming the woods and if you enter the woods you will risk being attacked and to opt-out on that is like to opt-out from role-playing part of the game so why play a role-playing game?

 

Currently, THERE IS NO RISK in the scenes, apart from the danger of my head exploding from boredom and frustration.

Once real risk/reward is introduced (hopefully!), players can have the choice to participate in REs, thereby taking risk and receiving ideally a commensurate reward (experience/loot/etc.), or they can opt out, so they'll take no risk and reap no reward.

I don't see the problem. An opt-out isn't a free ride to riches. It's an option that will help a large portion of the playing population enjoy the game more.

Sometimes the obvious solution just stares you in the face. Make REs a lot better and/or let people opt out. It ain't all that complex.

 

Not everyone here role-plays.

Nor does your version of "realism" necessarily comport with someone else's.

You want real role-play? Take one-third of your playing time and sleep. Take some time to go to the bathroom. To eat, bathe, get dressed, read a book, wash your dishes and brush the snow off your porch. Because that would be realistic. What, you don't want to do that? Would it interfere with your enjoyment of the game? Oh, you don't want to do those things, because that would be boring and keep you from "playing" the game? So you just want to do the things in the game that you enjoy. Bingo.

 

I have to say it's not only just a Roleplay game. Much like many other mmo's it's about choices as well, and we all choose how we like to play.

 

The issue I see is that the overland map is separate to all the encounters. If the map outside of towns was like the encounters in that you are not pulled into an attack, the creatures are already there and you can either run or fight. there still could be hidden enemies along the way. This way there would be more fluid play and hopefully less slow down in areas since it would not have to be calculating random and wandering encounters you would be in the instance of the area. I always remind myself that this is still Alpha and as a group we can shape the way the game plays and get to a nice mesh of playability.

 

Darklands was made in 1991 with an overworld map and local maps (cities were menus though) and it has some of the best random encounters I have ever seen in a game with this split. That's a title made 24 years ago that absolutely destroys SOTA in this category...

 

Dear Budner, you miss the whole point I have made several times in this thread. By opt-out from random encounters you will be able to make gold without any risk at all (see my previous posts).

Why not remove the overland map all together and instantaneously port to you any destination while you are at it, that way you could also avoid PvP areas you must go via to get to key locations.