REAL-TIME WITH PAUSE
Combat runs in real time but the player can pause at any moment to assess, queue orders, and issue commands, then unpause to watch them execute.
- SOLO-DEV COST MEDIUM
- TIMING REAL-TIME
- COMMON IN CRPG · RTS
RTwP (Baldur's Gate, Pillars of Eternity, Dragon Age: Origins) bridges real-time flow and turn-based deliberation: the action's momentum is preserved, but tactical depth isn't sacrificed to reflexes. Designers use it to run complex party-based combat — multiple characters, many abilities — without demanding twitch execution, and to let players engage as tactically or as reactively as they like. Key decisions: auto-pause triggers (pause on spell cast, enemy spotted, ally down — configurable auto-pause is essential for usability), how orders queue and interrupt, whether pausing is unlimited or constrained, and party AI for units not being actively controlled. Pitfall: RTwP can feel like a fussy compromise — chaotic without enough pausing, tedious with too much — and demands strong auto-pause and queuing tools; without them, players either drown in micromanagement or pause every second, and the real-time flow the mode promised evaporates.
SEEN IN
- BALDUR'S GATE II: SHADOWS OF AMN
- PILLARS OF ETERNITY
- DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS