Automated fighting in RPGs

[Galbalan]

It might just be me, but I've noticed that one of the recent trends in RPGs, mostly of the J variety, is for the combat to basically play itself out. Some WRPGs have it, too, like the Knights of the Old Republic games. To this, I say...why? Combat is supposed to be one of the highlights of RPGs, and I feel that a good combat system can make or break it, since the primary gameplay aspects hinge on beating monsters up for loot and gold. FFXII had the Gambit system, Persona 3's original release had AI party members (though this was "corrected" in P3P), Xenoblade appears to have a system where you really only hit buttons to perform special moves and regular combat is carried out by the game's AI, etc.

I fail to see how this is supposed to be "exciting". For me, half the fun in a game is stepping into the role of some other character and guiding their actions. Even in the days of 8-, 16-, and 32-bit RPGs, where "control" mostly consisted of entering a command from a menu, you at least still got to choose the action of your own volition. So what's up with this trend where the control is taken AWAY from the player? Doesn't that represent a step backwards for an interactive, immersive medium?

 

[Glademaster_v1legacy]

Well they don't really do combat. KotOR just does attack command if you don't do anything else. Likely you will have prebuffed master knight's speed have two light sabers and just mash master flurry anyway. Other ones like FFXII are more just to keep the combat flowing which is why gambits can be s detail so you don't have to go through menus every-time as going through menus when a game doesn't pause(unless you want it not to) is a recipe for disaster.

 

[Pseudopod]

Persona 3 is the only game I can recall where I've encountered automated combat and come to enjoy it. You aren't entirely without control, as you directly control the main character and can also give orders to your party members. I definitely felt like my actions as the player had a huge impact on the success of the battle, and interacting with my party in the form of orders actually made the game more immersive to me. My party felt more like autonomous human beings and it didn't detract from the game's difficulty.

The only aspect I didn't like was those occasions when the AI was downright stupid, such as a party member casting status magic on an enemy with low HP instead of just murdering it. This added difficulty in a rather unfun way that made the party member in question seem like an idiot. Thankfully, the only time that happened a lot was right after Mitsuru learned Marin Karin.