I have a violent dislike of games that adapt the strengths of the monsters to the power of the party members. One of my biggest beefs with the whole Wizardry series was the way that you had a tough fight on your hands wherever you went, no matter how strong your party got, and when Wiz8 added in the factor that an area respawned if you left it and then returned, then that put the tin lid on it for me. A rat is a rat when all is said and done, and to give it the ability to damage a well-trained character in full plate armour is far beyond ridiculous.I prefer that the development of a character is at least partially under the player's control and is not wholly decided by the game. The ability to buy skills and then train in them IMO adds another dimension to the game. This is one thing I think that the early Wizardrys did get right - you could select your skills and train in them, but you could also develop skills by practice. I seem to remember using one of my characters to do all the map-reading, and he eventually got quite good it it without any formal training.
Critical to any RPG is the quality of the plot and the puzzles. This is where IMO the Might & Magic series scored so highly. In the midst of a swamp of hack 'n slash adventures, Might & Magic 3 stood out like a diamond in a coal-pile.
One type of puzzle I am dubious about is the "remote lever" problem, when you pull a lever or press a button or something, and a door opens halfway across the dungeon. I'm especially dubious about this type of puzzle when there are some levers you must flip and others you musn't. Finding your way through these is a long, frustrating, and boring job that IMO detracts from the enjoyment of the game. Dragoon's Cavern in MM6 drove me round the bend the first time I went in there - because I found the hidden room on the entrance level with its two buttons. I finally got through that place by good luck rather than good judgement.
