Ah, wrong, as in not necessarily. That really all depends upon the kind of TB we are talking about. Are we talking TB in the sense of the characters don't do anything at all in any turn until and unless specifically told each and every turn to do something? Or are we talking TB in the sense that a character keeps executing the last order given, such as a thief in the rear of the party continuously firing arrows at the nearest target until ordered to do something different?
I can't think of a single game with turn-based gameplay where you control multiple characters, but they explicitly carry out the last order given until ordered to do something different. That is RTwP gameplay. The vast majority of turn-based gameplay has you issue fresh commands each turn, even if it is just to confirm "keep doing what you were doing".
Also, I am amazed at how many people *pause* are trying to say, *pause* with a straight face, how *pause* "immersive" or "cinematic" *pause* real-time with pause gameplay *pause**pause* is.
Then maybe you haven't played any tactical or strategic wargames, especially ones that use waypoints for movement orders that can take more than one turn? Unit versus character is like the difference between 'potaytoe' versus 'potahtoe.'
Also, exactly what do you mean by Turn Based? Do you mean IGoUGo without reaction? IGoUGo with reaction? Phased IGoUGo with reaction? WeGo? WeGo with reaction? Phased WeGo with reaction?
The reason RTwP feels more immersive to me than TB is because once the next turn begins in a TB game I am totally irrelevant and at the complete mercy of the RNG Gods. I don't even need to pay attention to what happens once the next turn begins. I could walk away and ignore it because I no longer matter to what is happening. No matter what new opportunities present themselves during the turn, and maybe vanish before the end of the turn and thus before my chance to take advantage of an emergent opportunity, my attention is not necessary and totally irrelevant. Whatever is going to happen is going to happen and there isn't a damn thing I can do about it. But during RTwP my total attention is absolutely necessary ever second as I pay close attention to what is happening and how well my last orders are working. My total attention is necessary every second to take advantage of new opportunities that present themselves before the opportunity vanishes. Just because I'm pausing the game I haven't stopped thinking or doing because I am both reacting to what has happened and proactively issuing new orders. So my presence and my attention are absolutely essential all the time unless I need to take a break. Sure the RNG mechanics are still happening in the background, but I can at least make changes on the fly to mitigate or leverage the RNG results in the moment. A pause in the action doesn't mean a break in my involvement. A pause in the action doesn't mean I'm irrelevant. That means I'm MORE relevant.
Last edited by Vlad the Impaler; 20/08/2010:38 PM.
