The Lantern Hall
Painting: an ancient lexicon open on a carved lectern in a dark chapel of books, glowing runes and symbols lifting off its pages like fireflies.
TermDigital term1998

Real-time with pause

A combat system in which action flows continuously but the player can pause at any moment to issue orders to each party member. It combined the tension of real-time play with the deliberation of turn-based tabletop combat.

A combat system in which action flows continuously but the player can pause at any moment to issue orders to each party member. It combined the tension of real-time play with the deliberation of turn-based tabletop combat.

Origin

Popularized by BioWare's Baldur's Gate (1998) and the Infinity Engine games that followed.

Quick answers

What does "Real-time with pause" mean?
A combat system in which action flows continuously but the player can pause at any moment to issue orders to each party member. It combined the tension of real-time play with the deliberation of turn-based tabletop combat.
Where does the term "Real-time with pause" come from?
Popularized by BioWare's Baldur's Gate (1998) and the Infinity Engine games that followed.

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Turn-based combat

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