How often do you use the Pause button?

[Aesculapius]

Are you (like me) a 'Chess Player'? That is to say, do you use the pause button all the time, to plan your next moves, put them into action, assess the enemy's response, and react in detail?

Or are you more of a 'Basketballer'? You play your battles 'live' much of the time, but take 'time-outs' whenever you need to catch up with the action, reassess and re-assign.

Or are you an 'Arcade-gamer'? Apart from perhaps a pause at the beginning of the battle to launch your attack, you consider the pause button to be vaguely 'cheating' and hardly ever use it - true 'Real-Time Strategy'.


Just wondering.......

[Zatoichi]

Well, I've voted 'Arcade', but there is a huge proviso - I play RTW with the unit movement speeds modded to be slower as I prefer to play without pausing. In MTW and STW, I very rarely used pause. I'm not trying to turn this into a 'too fast/too slow' rant thread by the way, just reporting the facts...

[Dutch_guy]

well in RTW I don't pause a lot but sometimes in a big battle when I think I'm losing control over my units I do press pause.
In MTW I use pause a little more than in RTW

overall I would say I'm the Basketball type.

[Productivity]

I don't pause except for screenshots etc.

If things start getting out of control I'll chuck some reserves at an area, in an attempt to overwhelm the enemy there while I deal with other issues.

Apart from that, I usually play quick nimble armies (Pontus/Parthia), and the skirmish function isn't bad for keeping people out of trouble.

[Ciaran]

Basketball player, it would be for me. In Medieval I alwas hit pause the instant after I started the battle, to arrange my units, that´s a big improvement in Rome that you can set up your units even if you´re attacking.

I play RTW with the unit movement speeds modded to be slower

How do you do that?

[Taurus]

I voted Arcade Gamer because I really use the pause button. In fact the only times I use the pause button is for taking cool screens and getting something to eat.

[Zatoichi]

How do you do that?

Hi - I use the Movement Rate Mod by Apollonius. I can't find his original post which has the downloadable file, as it was on TWCenter and seems to have been lost (it was done last September from what I remember, and they've reorganised a few times since then). Basically he edited the values in the "desc_battle_map_movement_modifiers.txt" file. This contains a list of terrain types and associated values which affect the movement rates of units over the corresponding terrain. By editing them all to lower numbers, he was able to reduce all unit movement speed across the board.

Unfortunately, I'm stuck at work and so don't have access to this file to let you know what values he used - I can post them later if you want (or pm you).

One thing, this mod doesn't affect the animation speeds, so you get the weird 'ice skating/loss of traction' effect when tired troops are running - but I can live with that! Also, it's a one size fits all solution - you cannot make some units faster or slower, this will alter the speed of all units.

Please make a backup of any text files you plan to alter! That way, if you don't like it, you can always back out the changes. Once again, thanks to Apollonius for this mod!

[PseRamesses]

Extensively! Since my units can´t "think" for themselves I´ve to pause for every counter-move I´ve to do. A bit frustrating but the results are satisfactory, he he!

[abortretryfail]

I use it every battle. Every soldier on the battlefield is using only one brain.

[bubbanator]

I hardly ever use it. It just dosen't feel right to pause a game just for the purpose of looking for a weakness in the enemy formation. I can see pausing to fix your own troops if they are being retarted because that is an AI problem. However, using it to gain a futher advantage over the AI just isn't right. I only use it if I simply can't afford to lose a battle or I cannot afford many casualties (like if I am planning to take over a large city with a small army and need all of the troops to keep the peace)

Other than that I don't really pause at all...unless I need to take a pee...

[Slug For A Butt]

I suppose I'm a basketball player.
I never use the pause to think about my next move or to analyse the enemy's movements, I see that as taking the adreneline pump (and realism) out of the game. But I do quite regularly use the pause while giving orders to my units just so I'm not overrun while I'm busy clicking. The mechanics of the game can make it quite hard for you to set a formation up just as you want it, so the pause comes in handy for that. But I definitely NEVER use it for thinking about my next move... that would be a little lame I think. Ok for the strategy map where realistically a ruler would have time to think over decisions, but a battle has to be fought as it happens.

[King of Atlantis]

I usaullly puse cause i just like to take in the battles

[Deus ret.]

In the meantime, I've become something between as basketballer and a chess player.

Until a week ago, I was a true basketballer, only interrupting when things became too difficult to overlook or if I had to issue too many orders at once (in large battles).

....well, when I tried the Darth mod, I became far more prone to press "p" once in a while since the AI now does its best to give you some hell on the battlefield.... in which it succeeds remarkably often btw.

[gardibolt]

I hardly ever use it; it feels like a cheat. The exception is when my mouse is misbehaving for whatever reason; if I can't get it to go to the right spot I will pause to coax the cursor over where it's supposed to be, but that seems fair enough to me.

[Troy Lawton]

I think the P button is just about worn out on my laptop

[Colovion]

I used to use it every five seconds. Then I kinda got used to it, but still was basketballer. Then I stopped playing for a while. Then I started using Mods with the slower speed settings.

When I installed BI I was like "HOLY CRAP PAUSE PAUSE PAUSE OMGZ!)Krth0qw38rn:///dead"

[screwtype]

When I first bought Shogun I played for several months without even realizing there was a pause button. I still won most battles, but found it incredibly frustrating that I often couldn't scroll around the battlefield quickly enough to do what I wanted to do.

When I finally found the pause feature, I never looked back. Yep, I'm definitely a chess player, I hate to be in a hurry, and I like to carefully plan out my attack or defense and to beat the enemy with strategy.

[DS_Legionary]

I hardly ever have to pause my battles so I picked arcade, but in truth I'm more of a chess player. I set up my armies before the battle starts to be able to predict, and react to any AI movements quickly and efficiently. I think ahead at what the AI would most likely do, and prepare for that scenario. Sometimes they do something completely different, but I'm usually in a good enough position that I don't really have to pause to reposition or rethink my strategy.

[Puzz3D]

I play chess, but I've never used pause in a Total War battle.

[Nelson]

Since I never play in arcade mode, I did not vote in the poll.

Only a RL interruption will induce me to pause the game. Otherwise, like Puzz, I never pause in battle and haven’t from my earliest Shogun demo days.

I want to add that I in no way consider this habit of mine any indication of superior command prowess. I simply enjoy the stimulating effect of deciding in real time what to do and when and where to do it. Not pausing also compels me to make at least a crude plan before I begin the fight just as I imagine any commander would have needed to do.

[Aesculapius]

Since I never play in arcade mode, I did not vote in the poll.

That's not really what I meant, respected Admiral. 'Arcadegamer' has nothing to do with the arcade mode option for battles, but is simply the term I've coined for someone who plays their battles continuously live and hardly ever uses the pause button. But maybe you knew that.........

[Aesculapius]

Wow - I'm impressed by how even a spread the poll shows. I thought I'd be in the minority as a 'chess player'.

I'm interested to know how the 'arcadegamers' manage (apart from those who've modded down their movement speeds). I would find it impossible to manage a large battle between two strategically-balanced armies without taking huge unnecessary casualties. Managing flanking and enveloping manouevres on two or three battlefronts, timing your charges, bringing up support for wavering troops - how do you manage it all simultaneously?

1. Simply accept larger casualties than the 'chessplayers'?

2. Simply have faster reflexes and motor skills?

3. Use strategically simple armies?

I guess some troops take more management than others. Wardogs don't really need any input once they're let off the leash; and missile troops in skirmish mode will look after themselves as well as a human can; so I guess a bunch of massed cavalry could then be your principal focus of attention in real-time, and just do without infantry (or leave them to their own devices as cannon-fodder or 'speedbumps').

I figure in real life a general would have commanders in charge of different divisions, and would entrust them with a greater or lesser degree of autonomy according to his personality and their tactical abilities. So for example, a cavalry division that had made its way behind enemy lines might charge at its own discretion, rather than waiting for a signal from a general at the other end of the battlefield and possibly out of sight. In particular, generals who were often in the thick of the fighting, such as Alexander, would HAVE to rely on the initiative of sub-commanders.

And of course, while the AI might not think very well, its biggest advantage over a human thinker is that it can think fast - and it doesn't have to point and click to translate thought into action. So that's how I justify to myself the frequent use of the Pause button. But others may argue "Why not accept the slowness of manual command as a handicap to balance your greater intelligence compared to the AI?". Well, maybe when I get to be better at the game.....

[Humiliative]

Good Question Aesculapius

I used to be somewhere in between an Arcade and a Basketball player. I did use the pause button but only in dire organisational disasters.
Now Im almost pure arcade as I have started playing online where the 'mutual pause only' feature makes its success limited.
I guess I will have to admit that I probably just suffer the unnecessary casualties, however I do use very simple army formations/layouts:

The typical Archers in Front/Triarii closely behind/several 'rectangles' of infantry with seige at the rear and cavalry at the flanks.

It is however mentioning I am new to the TW franchise with only having had Rome for 3 weeks or so now but I love it and im learning lots by playing online.

[Joe_Nvidio828]

i will pause usually only when im about to get flanked and didnt realize it or something. i usually just pause whenever i think i need to, or i feel i will be benifited if i do.

[Colovion]

When I first played MTW I didn't know there was a Pause button. I was really happy to find out you could use it during a battle... but I was also kind of bummed that I had found out about it because it's so tempting. At first I thought of it like:

"the computer is constantly pausing and readjusting their units all at the same time so why can't I?

So that worked well in MTW, lost a lot less battles, but still lost a decent amount. In RTW it's no fun with the Pause button. Undefeated with the Pause is disgusting and lame. Lots of wins and lots of close calls is more exciting.

[jerby]

all the time, since my cav share 1 brain for 4 units..
especially with rtr 6.0 ..damn things go fast.
gaugamela took half a day..rtr takes 3 minutes..it's all a bit extreme

[Ciaran]

I figure in real life a general would have commanders in charge of different divisions, and would entrust them with a greater or lesser degree of autonomy according to his personality and their tactical abilities. So for example, a cavalry division that had made its way behind enemy lines might charge at its own discretion, rather than waiting for a signal from a general at the other end of the battlefield and possibly out of sight. In particular, generals who were often in the thick of the fighting, such as Alexander, would HAVE to rely on the iniative of sub-commanders.

Well, you can do that, you can hand over a group to be AI- controlled. I´ve never done that, though, so I´m not sure how well the AI manages. It handles the reinforcements not too bad, according to my experience, but I don´t like to trust the AI if I´ve got a choice.

[RabidGibbon]

I used to use pause all the time when I was playing Mediveal, and that habit carried onto R:TW. Then i got broadband and spent several months just playing MP.

When I went back to SP I find I don't need to use pause, as I generally know what I'm going to do in a given situation and besides, I never remember its there.

[bubbanator]

Wow - I'm impressed by how even a spread the poll shows. I thought I'd be in the minority as a 'chess player'.

I'm interested to know how the 'arcadegamers' manage (apart from those who've modded down their movement speeds). I would find it impossible to manage a large battle between two strategically-balanced armies without taking huge unnecessary casualties. Managing flanking and enveloping manouevres on two or three battlefronts, timing your charges, bringing up support for wavering troops - how do you manage it all simultaneously?

1. Simply accept larger casualties than the 'chessplayers'?

2. Simply have faster reflexes and motor skills?

3. Use strategically simple armies?

Actually, I don't do any of those (except maybe for the simper armies). You simply need to set up a plan of action. One that is simple, but effective. One that has the small chance of failing, but can be mannaged easily and without having to waste more time than needed. RTW isn't a game that is so complex that you have to pause every few seconds to keep your battleplan in order. I usualy have spies or diplomats to get a picture of what the enemy has before I fight them. You set up a plan of action, then stick to it unless the enemy does something entirely different than expected. That is the moment where you could pause to look at your options, or make a split-second decision that will make or break the battle. It is not that I am just bent on realism or that I have super fast reflexes, and it is deffinitly not that I accept larger casualties than someone who pauses often. I simply enjoy the game more when I am forced to make decisions quickly. And if you have a sound stratagy, you have the ability to make rapid changes in your plan without wasting the lives of your men.

I just set up differently depending on what troops I have at my disposal. If I have nearly all infantry, I will set up with my weak troops in the center with some reserves behind them, and heavy troops on the flanks with some fast infantry, or what cavalry I have off to the side to run to the rear and cut them off.

If I have a decent ammount of cavalry (4-6 units) I will just set up my infantry line and have my cavalry on the flanks. My cavalry runs around to the rear and charges into the center of the enemy line while they are engaged with my infantry. The whole time, my archers have been firing on the center of the enemy line so that they are already very weak when my cavalry hits them.

My point is, RTW is a game where you don't need to 'call timeouts' though you can and in some situations they help. However, RTW is not an incredibly complicated game. You don't need to advance in echilon and have your cavalry charge through the gap in the line simply because you don't have to. You are rarely outnumbered by so much that you are forced into an overly complex, all-or-nothing plan. You must be able to control your enemy no matter what they do. You must adapt and react.

Everything revolves around how you plan your stratagy.

[hoom]

I used to be a 'chess player' with STW & MTW but not RTW.
It doesn't help at all that the pause button is bugged.
With RTR the battles are slow enough to do most stuff live.

Basically I only pause RTW when a supposedly simple move or sequence somehow gets munged by the game & eg my entire army decides to about face just as the enemy charges or my gateway blocking phalanx up spears & runs headlong out the gate.

I guess also because phalanxes take a long time to reform after a move I often take the army movement step by step where in the previous games my army movement would often be one smooth advancing movement if the pauses were removed.

Also large selections of units told to move stay in formation much better in RTW, requiring less micromanagement. Lots of my previous pauses were setting up the formation at the new location.