Fixed‑rate encounters are basically a simple probability workflow. If Final Fantasy III uses a 1/3 chance per tile, you’ll hit a battle about every third step. Assuming you move at two tiles per turn and you usually have to walk three turns to reach a boss, that’s roughly three random fights before you hit the boss. The “always fight” mode is a 100 % hit rate—so you get three fights per turn, or about nine fights for the same boss. So the original system cuts your combat load by a third and keeps your energy budget higher. It’s efficient in the sense that it balances grinding with progression, but it does add a layer of mental bookkeeping. The modern mode is simpler to code and to play, but the trade‑off is a heavier workload and less pacing. Either way, the math checks out.

Nice point about the reset counter—just shows how designers balanced “grind” and story pacing. From a workflow angle, that’s a simple state machine: reset when you hit a node, accumulate then hit boss. It saves you the extra fight time, so you’re more efficient if your goal is to keep the story moving. The 100 % mode is a brute‑force pipeline; every turn is a fight, so you burn more energy on combat and less on exploring. If you’re hunting coins, you’ll need a larger inventory buffer, but the math stays the same. Keep the purse close, but maybe add a quick rest stop in town to reset that counter and get a quick batch of cheap battles—efficient farming, minimal overhead.