Respawning enemies.

[Labadal]

What do you guys think about this? Part of me doesn't want to see this at all. If I've cleared an area, I hope it stays free from hostile humans/creatures. I don't mind if there are some dungeons or a few other areas that have them, but overall, I'm against this idea.

 

What do you guys think? Yay or nay?

[Dragoonlordz]

I don't see why realistically other monsters, beast and creatures would be excluded from moving into an area just because you cleared it once. I mean when you for example clear out a rabbit hole, it sometimes becomes home to another rabbit or snake, bird or other creature. So there is validity in having other creatures take up residence in a place you cleared. This I prefer to no other creature inhabiting the area once cleared. It does not mean I want Final Fantasy style every few steps you take get random encounter but it does mean it has to be believable to me. If I leave a zone say forest or cave I see no reason why it should remain empty for the entirety of the rest of the game.

[evdk]

No, unless it makes sense. Like in the wilderness you probably won't be able to genocide all the wild life. On the other hand after cleansing an undead infested temple an removing the artifact that mad the dead rise it would be pretty stupid if bloody skeletons kept spawning afterwards.

[Labadal]

It could still have wild life in it, but it doesn't mean that I'd want to fight every time I enter that area. If you get a new quest in said area, then there can be respawned monsters, or some cool random encounter can take place. I just don't want to kill a pack of enemies and come back to face an exact replica of that pack of enemies.

[Knott]

As long as it makes sense, I'm not against it.

[molarBear]

What do you guys think about this? Part of me doesn't want to see this at all. If I've cleared an area, I hope it stays free from hostile humans/creatures. I don't mind if there are some dungeons or a few other areas that have them, but overall, I'm against this idea.

 

What do you guys think? Yay or nay?

yay to this

[Infinitron]

Respawning can be good but it needs to be tuned. It could get a bit ridiculous in Baldur's Gate.

[TCJ]

It would depend on the area. It's a frustration when a dungeon spawns unlimited enemies. You clear one room, return the old one and find an army camped there once again. On the other hand, you'd expect that the wilderness would have new animals and monsters move in, or a cave after you've left it awhile, or a town would get new guards after you slaughter the old ones.

[Gorth]

I belong to the school of "when appropriate". A scroll of gnomicide doesn't mean an area stays devoid of gnomes forever (unfortunately), but respawn rates and common sense plays a big role. If I clear out a dead end tunnel, I get pissed off when jumped by critters, when simple logic dictates that they can only have come through a developer having decided to spawn them, not because the locale in any rational way could have caused them to be there. If I leave the tunnel and come back a month after, no problem with the logic if new critters have settled in.

[duskwind]

Respawn only after leaving an area and then returning, only when it makes sense, and generally fewer/weaker encounters (wild animals will only gradually repopulate a wilderness region, replacement town guards are likely to be raw recruits).

[Starglider]

Destroying the monster generators back in Gauntlet was very satisfying, and created a tactical choice between killing the monsters and destoying the generators. The modern equivalent of that is that when passing through an area you can chose to just fight your way through, or go the extra mile to destroy the black magic obelisk / orc encampment / tunnel entrance fo the underworld / evil cult temple etc. That wouldn't remove all wildlife but it would take out the primary threat from the area. I think players would enjoy the sense of accomlishment and ability to actually change the game world in this way (where appropriate of course).

[trulez]

If they're not going to reward XP from killing, like stated in the recent update, then it makes no sense to force non-stealth players to clear out areas again and again.

[agewisdom]

Yeah, like some of the earlier comments, I think respawning should be tied with the lore.

 

1. Wilderness

Areas like forests with natural wild life should see respawns of natural monsters like wolves, bears and spiders at a slower rate than the initial encounter.

 

2. Dungeons / Enemy strongholds

There should be no respawns unless this can be explained ingame. If they're taken over by a persistent enemy faction that's hell bent on tacking over the region, then perhaps they decide to use cleared out dungeons as their temporary base of operations. Or low-level bandits have moved in taking over the place.

[Volourn]

"If they're not going to reward XP from killing, like stated in the recent update, then it makes no sense to force non-stealth players to clear out areas again and again. "

 

 

Why?

Edited September 24, 2012 by Volourn

[nikolokolus]

If you clean out a fortified area, it only stands to reason that somebody eventually is going to stumble on to the now desolate place, realize it's empty and then move in. I don't think areas should respawn with exactly the same kind of creature(s) that preceded it, but it's certainly reasonable that after a certain amount of time passes (say 2 to 6 months of game time?) that new residents will be present.

[generic.hybridity]

I agree with the general tenor of the thread. Respawning is fine as long as it makes sense in game and as long as it doesn't negatively affect the pacing of the game. Having to slog through weak enemies to get from place to place everytime could get a little tedious.

[neckthrough]

I've always found random encounters and respawning enemies to be extremely tedious. Yes, in theory, if it fits with the setting (e.g. wildlife in a forest) it makes RP sense. And in theory it's possible to implement it in a way that doesn't affect pacing. In practice, however, I've always found most implementations to be extremely annoying. They get in the way of enjoying the game.

[Flouride]

I hate respawns. I gave up on playing Stalker just due to the endless respawns. If I want to fight through endless amount of mobs I'll go play some MMO.

[Grayman]

New inhabitants in cleared areas would be great if someone took the time to write it in. I think that should even apply to the forest animals in a special case.