(2) RTwP feels like a bad hybrid. RT and TB are both standard methods that work well for what they are, but having to rely on the "P" makes RTwP feel neither here nor there. In fact, it shouldn't even be called RTwP, because real time doesn't stop. Call it what it is, STwP (Simultaneous Turns with Pause), or maybe even HART or HATB (half-assed real-time or half-assed turn-based). Yeah, I know, plenty of people like it, and that's cool. I don't. It's an attempt to get the best of both worlds and, as usual, ends up getting the best of neither.
This makes no sense and I disagree with it categorically. In fact, as far as I am concerned, there is no meaningful difference at all between RT and RTwP. RTwP is merely adding in a QoL convenience into RT combat. It's giving people more choice, where that choice is entirely optional. That's all. Anyone who wants to play the game in a purely RT way can absolutely do so. As such, I believe there should not be such a thing as RT, and all RT games should come with pausability. Furthermore, even TB games should include the ability to pause the game during RT exploration (and the D:OS games not including this is a HUGE strike against them). There are no meaningful reasons to ever not include the ability to pause a game and walk away from your computer, and not including such pausability I always interpret as just plain cussedness on the part of a developer.
Actual real time not having a pause makes no sense? Okay.
Being able to pause is one thing (and I agree, in single-player, at least). But relying on pausing to cover for game mechanics is another.
