I also do not do reddit and so would greatly appreciate my questions being included. Pretty much all the questions I would ask re. optionally bigger party size and custom characters v. origin characters others have already put in, so I'll skip those two issues. Thank you!!!
1. Can a rough percentage estimate be provided on how much of the game's content is combat versus the noncombat parts?
2. Roughly what percentage of combat encounters can be avoided through alternative actions or checks?
I'm not sure where, but I think on one of the streams (July 18th I think?), it was mentioned that a design goal of the game is to always have a way to avoid combat - at least with intelligent characters. That's why all the fighting encounters with goblins and such start with conversations, to give a way to talk your way out of a combat encounter.
I don't know if non-speaking/non-intelligent creatures which are aggressive can have ways to avoid all possible fights. Maybe with Animal Handling and Speak with Animals or something.
That said, avoiding combat might possibly require you to make roleplaying choices you would otherwise would not prefer.
6. Can the game be paused during exploration?
You can enter turn-based mode at any time during exploration, as was shown off on the gameplay streams, and advance time in 6-second increments.
7. What kind of crafting, if any, will the game have?
Good question. Hopefully it will be better than DOS 2's "500 ingredients, each with exactly one use only."
