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. 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.
- Dev effort: Medium
- Timing: Real-time
- Common in: crpg, rts
Seen in
- Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
- Pillars of Eternity
- Dragon Age: Origins