This is discussion archived from a time before the current discussion method was installed.
From YKTTW Working Title: Real Time with Pause
Eric DVH: Any way you cut it, PRT isn't “basically turn-based,” it's basically realtime. If one were to play back a recording of the events in a PRT game, it would look exactly like any RT game (as played by a spastic Star Craft player, perhaps.) Also, simultaneously resolved turns are NOT PRT. Look at games like Combat Mission or Laser Squad Nemesis, those games are based on simultaneous turn resolution. Perhaps we should have a meta-trope covering something like this article on The Other Wiki does.
Deux Hero: When a system uses the mechanics of a turn based system for combat AND comes with invisible turns, "basically turn based" is a legitimate . Did anyone ask you to launch it anyways?
Eric DVH: Baldur's Gate runs at full realtime, the game's adaptation of those turn-based mechanics you're referring to run on a “personal initiative” system, so it's basically like every entity in the game has their own cycle of turns, a cycle which can be interrupted at any time by players and other entities. In other words, just like any other realtime game. I suppose it was a bit rude of me to launch it myself, but you hadn't replied for nearly two weeks, so I thought you might have forgotten it.
Deux Hero:I left for two weeks because I had no idea how to sort the replys, given that I knew at least half were wrong.
Headrock: There's a problem with the definition of this article versus its name. In game design, Pausable Real-Time has nothing to do with turn-based mechanics (although granted, simultaneous turn execution is a subset of Pausable Real-Time). In practical terms, it refers to games that run on real time but accept commands while the game is paused, but those actions are not executed until the game is unpaused. The stipulation is usually that execution also takes some time after the game is unpaused while the "unit" being ordered about stops what it's doing and starts doing something else. If you take the definition given in the article at face-value, then there are several examples that should be removed - for instance Mass Effect or Dungeon Siege, neither of which have any underlying turn system, but are still designed to be paused for orders. In fact, games that utilize simultaneous turn mode are getting increasingly rare, mainly because the idea is obsolete and was mostly done due to technological limitations in the 80's and 90's. And then what would you call a game that does not have an underlying turn system but can be paused to give orders? Real Time with Pause... Another way about it may be to leave "Real Time with Pause" games here, and create another article called "Simultaneous Turn Execution" or something of that sort. But IMHO splitting this article would be foolish. I think the definition should be revised, perhaps explaining the two types in the article and then splitting the examples into two sections as well, as is done in many other articles on this wiki. I'll be glad to write a more thorough article myself, if so desired. Let me know.
Headrock: After waiting a few months for a reply on this issue, I've decided to rewrite the entire article. I've listed all the major forms of PRT I am aware of, and split the various examples into these categories.
There are a couple of unsorted games left at the bottom, since I have no intimate familarity with any of them. It would be nice if people could move them to the appropriate category...
If I've overstepped the bounds or somesuch, I guess we can always roll back to the stub that was before. However I think the article now gives a much better idea of how various designers have treated the notion of combining Real Time and Turn Based gameplay in various manners. I just hope I haven't made it completely technical and unreadable?
Comments would be appreciated.
