IMHO, when the computer goes through the progression of dice rolls, skill checks, saves, etc, then there is an action performed, sequentially for each character and MOB, then starts over again, rather than all characters mindlessly bashing away at the same time, then that is turn-based. The fact that it pauses is irrelevant. This just makes it easier to coordinate each turn.
No. The "feel" is a totally different one. If you are sensitive enough, you can feel it as well.
You can sense it if developers had turn-based combat in mind and developed the game to meet this concept.
My prime example for this is still the NLT - this is he series of gameas against which I measure everything else.
The closest thing to this is still TOEE to me.
Pause is just ... a stopgap to me.
With Drakensang the pause is even worse that it is internally indeed a turn-based game. Many gamers I know have expressed their lack of understanding to just put a pause function to a game that's internally turn-based. They wanted *real* turn-based combat instead, like in the NLT.
