Is there anything random in the game? (In terms of encounters and so on)

[xzar_monty]

So, I've played the game for a bit now, and I do like it a lot. But I'm getting the sneaking suspicion that absolutely everything in the game is scripted and pre-planned right down to the minutest detail. Like, which monsters you encounter, which character is where and when and what can possibly happen in a given situation.

 

Now, I understand that the difficulty rating can affect the (amount of?) monsters you get in an encounter, which is fine as far as it goes, but that's not much.

 

I do realise that a game of this size has to contain and awful lot of railroading and pre-written stuff, because otherwise everything simply becomes unmanageable. But still.

 

Is there:

 

1) No random encounters? (Like, the last time you walked upon that road, it was empty. The next day, when you walk back, somebody or something may be on it.)

2) No random loot to be found anywhere, in anyone's possession?

3) Nothing that happens by chance?

 

To specity #3 a bit: In Baldur's Gate 2, for instance, there was a number of things that could happen once you fulfilled the specifications, but when and where that stuff happened was not guaranteed. Like, you might wake up surrounded by a group of thieves and murderers, IF you had one specific NPC with you AND you were romancing her AND that romance had passed a certain point AND you had decided to sleep outdoors. This was excellent stuff. Is there any of it in this game?

[dukefx]

I think there's random loot

[Elerond]

Events in keep are random

Hit rolls are random

Some of loot is random

[xzar_monty]

"Hit rolls are random" comes under the heading of "We're really, really reaching now", though.

 

But thanks for the info so far. It seems there's not much in the game, in this respect. It does affect replay value quite a bit, especially because the story line seems so linear that you're likely to meet the same NPCs in the same locations in the same order no matter what.

[GreatBeyonder]

None of the enemies are random, since their strength AND numbers are determined by difficulty. Loot is PROBABLY random. And no, I have never heard of any random encounters.

[LadyCrimson]

Some containers and some enemy loot is random per new game. But it's not random (that I can tell) in the sense that if you reload a save game to re-do the same encounter with the same chr, different loot appears each reload/attempt. There is plenty of "always there" hand-placed loot, as well - the special items, as it were.

 

Of game encounters etc. I haven't reached far enough to have a great idea on this, but on repeats of Act1 it's certainly pretty much always the same. Doesn't bother me myself (I replay mostly to try new builds/party compositions etc) but I can see how it wouldn't be motivating for some.

[Volourn]

No random encounters while travelling is VERY dissapointing. This could have been used  for various interesting starts to question, tough party encounters, travelling merchants with unique equiopment, etc., etc. This kind of stuff is awesome with games like FO/BG series, NWN, and DA all using them to various sweet effects.

[xzar_monty]

Ok, thanks again. Well, I have to say that this aspect of the game is a bit of a disappointment.

 

I'm always interested in "personalities" and "surprises" in games like this. Well, I now have four NPCs in my party, and none of them seems to have anything even resembling a personality, they're just automatons that help me better deal with monsters and other encounters. Nothing I decide to do or not do matters to any of them in the slightest - as far as personality is concerned, it's as if they're not there at all. So, if everything is going to be exactly the same on replay (including encounters, the minutiae of the story line and everything related to the NPCs in my group), it doesn't look promising.

 

But hey: there's also an awful lot of great stuff in the game. I have enjoyed it so far.

[Venater79]

The problem is with the random encounters is very simple mate if they add random encounters in to the game it will expand the effective game time, make it hard to calculate when you will finish playing the actual game,so when you will be ready to buy new expansion or new game

[FlintlockJazz]

Ok, thanks again. Well, I have to say that this aspect of the game is a bit of a disappointment.

 

I'm always interested in "personalities" and "surprises" in games like this. Well, I now have four NPCs in my party, and none of them seems to have anything even resembling a personality, they're just automatons that help me better deal with monsters and other encounters. Nothing I decide to do or not do matters to any of them in the slightest - as far as personality is concerned, it's as if they're not there at all. So, if everything is going to be exactly the same on replay (including encounters, the minutiae of the story line and everything related to the NPCs in my group), it doesn't look promising.

 

But hey: there's also an awful lot of great stuff in the game. I have enjoyed it so far.

Are they self-made NPCs or companion NPCs you picked up like Eder?

[jsaving]

As I understand it, the devs considered having random encounters at one point but didn't move forward because of the way random encounters were abused in IE games, such as the ankhegs in BG1 that would eventually drop every 1st and 2nd level spell in the game and give you as much XP as you wanted to get.  People used to post screenshots where you couldn't even see the ground because of the hundreds of ankhegs they'd fought (though this didn't prevent those same people from complaining they were overpowered for most of the game's critical path!).

 

Of course, the PoE team could have implemented random encounters with the stipulation that random foes never drop loot and don't help fill the bestiary.  But if the devs would have done that, then people would have complained (accurately) that those stipulations are unrealistic.  Given these issues, one can see why random encounters didn't make the cut, though I have to say they sure would be helpful for advancing a few of my soulbound weapons...