Originally Posted by mrfuji3
Originally Posted by Alodar
How is going into turn-based mode and not taking your turn any different from a full fledged pause?
Lots of ways.

The full game world doesn't stop when entering TB mode, so NPCs can still patrol and possibly find you.
Sometimes you can't go into turn-based mode (e.g, for a few seconds after exiting TB mode)
Pausing during a cutscene would be great.
A full-game pause would likely pause everyone in MP, while going into TB mode only affects nearby allies.
...probably more I can't think of right now.

However nothing changes for your character so it is a practical pause.
Quicksaving, if life places demands on your time, and reloading is likely the best way to freeze the game-state.

In a multiplayer game having one character pausing the world for everyone makes no sense and is considered bad design.
Most multiplayer games consider all games to be multiplayer, even if you are just running a single client.