LUCIDSTILLNESS'S PROFILE

Some RPGs like, say Dreammaster for the Famicom, feature a limited number of non-respawning enemies per area, which creates a definite level cap for the player, thus allowing the game designers to control each and every challenge. While this approach certainly means that the game cannot be broken, I have a number of problems with using this technique:

1)This approach often makes a game feel very linear. Having a limited number of enemies in an area to gain experience from usually means that the designer intended for that number to be killed in order to face the next challenge (if not, why choose that number of enemies and not fewer?) This means that the player is essentially still grinding, just on rails.

2) Limited resource management can easily create unwinnable situations for the player. If the player has a choice of characters to level up or a limited number of gold to spend, they can easily make foolish or otherwise uninformed mistakes early on which might make their party imbalanced. Depending on how forgiving a game is, the only option might be to restart the game over again and make better choices. This is something that the opportunity to level grind effectively eliminates; in Final Fantasy I you can make it to the end, with a lot of blood and tears, even with the worst possible starting party.

3) Challenges are fun, monotony is not. If every boss fight is an extremely close 'every-turn-counts' affair, the player will be forced to micromanage their resources and essentially memorize the correct path to victory, most likely after many, many unsuccessful attempts. Given the option between fighting a boss until you learn the exact combination of moves to win or leveling up through grinding, I think most players will choose the latter. At least with level grinding a player has something to show for their hours of spent time.

Now, all of these flaws can be minimized with a very clever and forgiving use of this system, but I personally think player freedom is the most important part of an enjoyable RPG experience. RPGs have moved away from the 'railroad' linear path, largely because players have grown tired of having their progression dictated. I know I complained about them before, but today's RPGs feature tons of sidequests, items and optional content that, ideally, is designed to minimize the 'grind' and personalize the game for the player. This approach doesn't always work and carries its own frustrations, but it allows the player to back away from the main story and consider a different approach to the next challenge, something a fixed progression system does not allow.

Mystic Quest rocks.

To an extent everyone has the impulse to stereotype and build prejudice as a response to the unknown, but most people fight against it.

author=flowerthief
XII. It's the one JRPG I loved enough to play through twice.

I think XII is vastly underrated, as its storyline and characters are some of the best in the series.

I read reviews of TurboGrafx RPGs by the Brothers Duomazov:

http://www.thebrothersduomazov.com/

Learning about all these old RPGs is very inspirational.