Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - General Allow pausing, please!

Space bar.

A pause would be the only way to allow tactically placing your characters before combat, which is deemed so important by Larian. Well we can enter turn-based mode for that, but that of course this takes an awful lot of time. Just like so muc in this game it is a cumbersome workaround for things that can be solved far easier with conventional game mechanics other developers have chosen for decades.

This can be solved already, for instance by having a single character initiate combat whilst the others are out of sight. You can then, at your leisure, move into any position as long as you are not spotted. Super powerful advantage.

You can enter turn based mode at any time just by hitting the space bar or clicking on the stopwatch button on screen.

I keep seeing people referring to the turn-based mode. While this mode will ... eventually ... pause, it behaves entirely different than the proper and simple pause mechanic that the original series and any other games with real time elements go about it. All that I'm asking for is how to simply pause the game? Sven and/or the DoS engine won't allow it?

Yeah sure, but it takes awfully long and you are bound to the limitations of the already slow combat. In any normal game you would just pause, position your people with one click and initiate combat. The BG3 system is cumbersome, unintuitive and slow. It is basically the worse workaround to a problem that does not need to exist in the first place.

In your OP, you said that you were having problems clicking on moving targets. Going into turn based mode makes everything stop, just like a standard pause command would. As far as I'm aware, it's pretty much instantaneous as well as long as you aren't moving. In that case, it will complete your previous input and then go into turn based mode. Now that may not be the ideal solution to you but it does solve your dilemma quite well IMHO. You're asking them to spend time and resources coding something tailored to the wants of you and a few other people. I'm not a coder and I don't know how much work that would entail but I know that not many game companies are going to go dumping time and resources into addressing each individual user's whims when there is a perfectly workable way to address their issue already in existence.

Now before you come back and ask me why do I care, let me tell you, I do not care if they add a different pause function. I'm just telling you that you are, more than likely, tilting at windmills here, that's all.

There is Space bar for entering out-of-combat TB, but it doesn't work every time. Some characters or NPC just walk around like not beinng in TB mode at all. It's especially annoying in camp, where I test things. I carefully position everybody, then hit space bar, and then everybody just walks away.

You outline an ambush situation, and in such you are pretty much guaranteed to go first/surprise the enemy and then control the time-flow/progression of combat. Alternatively, you are engaged in conversation with the enemy and are free to position your other companions in real time. Either way party members not yet engaged in combat/conversation are free to take a trip to Hell and back in real-time before you progress/enter combat. Not sure I understand your problem, or are we playing different games?

That said, a proper pause button should be easy to implement even though the need for it is much more miniscule than critics make it out to be here.

Currently the outside of combat turn based mode is very buggy for me. If it doesn't get fixed I'd much prefer a regular ol' pause button.

I realize that we're in very early access, but I wonder if some of us are playing entirely different games. Entering turn-based mode in the current EA version of BG3 that I'm playing, does *not* pause much of the world around my characters. I certainly don't know much about coding or engine limitations, but I'm not seeing why adding a standard user-controlled pause in a game that does have some pausing would be so extremely difficult to implement. Has no one here ever played any type of strategic game, including the original BG games, that has player-controlled pausing? Player-controlled pausing and queuing of actions is pretty standard across the industry. I'm unsure why it's hated so much by DoS creators and fans.

This system is awful in any situation, regardless of the circumstance. If it is an ambush or coming out of a conversation it matters not. In BG2 (or any other game really) I would either draw a frame or click the characters I would like to position. Then I would click on the position. Done deal, I can even set it up long before the actual engagement, as my characters are not chained together.
In BG3 I have to enter turn mode for each character, click on each character (if that works on the first time), click on the position and then let the turn play out (including possibly a non-hostile enemy's turn). I will have to repeat that until all are in position. If I want to do so beforehand and in real-time I would need to put a guy in stealth, unchain another and it still takes awfully long. Any mistake, live leaving the RTS mode, or stealth or rechaining and all the process might be undone.

To make things worse BG3 is a game where the environment matters, you gain advantage/disadvantage from being in the dark, being up a level, being in stealth, being behind a target, being on a certain surface or in an area of effect. Also movement is limited to 9m, range to 18m for most things. Yet the default way of movement is in one unchangeable clump.

Do you know see how this system is a drag and slows down gameplay with nuisances? The movement system is basically the gameplay equivalent of driving through the main street of any city in rush hour. Red lights everywhere, top speed barely faster than going on foot.

I forgot about making a mod request for a player-controlled pause for DoS here: https://forums.larian.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Main=85354&Number=654122#Post654122. I had hoped that there would be improvements by now, but it's beyond the capabilities of this engine. And, apparently, it's something that would impossible to mod in without serious coding support.

Basicly you want RTwP outside of combat?

haha Basically, I'd like full player control of pausing, auto-pausing, and the possibility of queuing actions. You know, like any other game with real time elements has had the sense to include?

Pause tied to esc would be really nice when AFK in singleplayer. Also party banter should pop up when camera is close/MC isn't splitted from party. I have missed a party banter at least once while having camera away from the party (not sure If I wasn't scouting with my rogue back then). Getting end of voice line was not funny.

And in case of long fights I even realize I want TBwP

Don't care what who said, I want a pause feature. Go ahead and add it to the escape menu, block the screen, idc.

I go afk a LOT with the game running and not being able to properly pause drives me mental.

Obviously the reason the game doesn't have a "proper" pause is that it's designed to be multiplayer-friendly.

Nothing they couldn't work their way around if they wanted (i.e. allow pausing when it's a single player game and not in multi) but I'm somehow skeptic they will ever bother.

Diablo 3 allows pause in single player but not multiplayer. It's not unheard of to have rules varying on game type.

I'll never play this as multiplayer though so.... ><