Pausing in Battle - Cheap or not?

[Cowhead418]

I know this is a topic that has been discussed before, but I want to know if pausing in battle is considered in your opinion to be a way of "cheating". When I first played this game I almost never used it, but now I find myself using it a lot in my battles and I wish I didn't have to.

My problem is that I find it hard to control a large army, especially when the battle gets hairy. I like big battles as much as anyone, but I generally like smaller battles because that means more control. I use pause when I want to issue orders to all my men at the same time. When I want five or six units to each charge at a different enemy unit at the same time, it would be impossible to achieve without first pausing the game. Since my units are so dim-witted (I have had several battles where I can't give a unit an order in time and they are slaughtered by a charging enemy unit) and can't really act on their own I find it hard to control them all in the thick of battle. This is especially true when my army is divided or split up all over the map (usually after chasing routers), as it becomes impossible to control two different areas on the battlefield at the same time.

Is it wrong for me to pause the game? Am I acting too much against reality because of the ability to stop time and assess the situation (which I try not to do too much when I pause)? Any advice on how to effectively control a larger army?

[NodachiSam]

With the frame rate I get sometimes, its a necessity. I only play single player though. If you do mulitplayer, it is better practice to not use pause, otherwise, it doesn't matter.

[Roark]

I don't play online, and I like to conduct my battles with some elegance and precision, so... yeah, I use it.

[Weebeast]

It's cheap. Even the game is cheap; only $19.99 on Amazon.com. OK my jokes aren't funny.

Of course it's not cheap to pause when playing a game like this. In reality you give order by shouting or whatever they used back in the days, not by clicking mouse. AI doesn't feel burdened by controlling 16 'bodies' at the same time unlike human player.

As for MP, I've never seen somebody pausing games lol. I guess it's cheap in a sense that your opponent can't really do the same. Plus, it'll be irritating to wait for it. Pausing will not work on MP especially when we really 'compete.'

[Loucipher]

I do not object to using "pause" feature when playing against A.I. No matter what machine you own, it is probably fast enough to outsquawk you million to one as far as issuing commands is concerned. So, in these dense moments where you have to issue loads of commands at once, why not just hit "Pause" button and make a quick battlefield review before issuing another batch of commands?
Plus, I have discovered that the lousy A.I. does not actually let you issue commands when paused - each time you issue an order, the clock advances a bit! You can see it for yourself - hit "Pause" in any battle and try to issue any unit an order. You'll notice that this unit (as well as any other) moves for a split-sec!
All that said, why not think of the "Pause" feature as the only way to keep up with that wily processor of yours?
Quite other issue with Multiplayer, though. In MP battles, I'd rather object to the "Pause" feature, unless both players had agreed on the use of it. My reason why is that you aren't trying to outsmart the A.I. (which is just a nonaligned arbiter), but the other player. He may not necessarily like it. The workaround for this would be setting up waypoints for all units prior to the battle and then controlling each unit in turn whether or not it is performing up to your battle plan, making corrections "on the fly". Once you get used to it, you might find that you don't even need "Pause" feature when plaing against A.I. (which tends to play more schematically and is therefore more susceptible to the "ingenious" human battle strategies).

[Ciaran]

The pause button works in MP battles? I wouldn´t know, I´ve never played MP.

[Matty]

Yep, pausing is cheap. OK, so the AI can process commands in the blink of an eye but on the other hand its an idiot. Even with 16 units to command you have enough time to implement your battle plan and make corrective actions - and if you don't, you've been beaten by a better opponent! Having HA at the other side of the field can be a little distracting as they need a certain amount of micro management but its all possible.

[Budwise]

I say its fair, computer can micromanage every unit at once all the time. You can't, so make it fair.

[matteus the inbred]

Yeah, i don't have a problem with it...in 'real life' your units and commanders would know what to do to a greater degree than the initiative they show in game when not under your direct control. Overall orders did take time to relay, using runners or messengers, but individual commanders could act independently.

It's still historically accurate for silly things to happen...like the Saxon fyrd falling for the Norman feigned retreats at Hastings. but the pause button puts you onlevel footing with the AI. That said, i barely ever use it, only when i've accidentally selected my entire army and clicked for them to about face just as the enemy's knights begin to charge...!

Perhaps it would be nice in MTW II to see better trained or more elite units reacting noticeably faster and more effectively to orders than untrained, impetuous or lower level ones...?

[SaintBlackAdder]

The pause button works in MP battles? I wouldn´t know, I´ve never played MP.

It doesnt, tho lag can give you some

[Ghost of Rom]

Controlling a large army is easier when divided into groups. I will generally group my missiles in one, my infantry in another, and left and right flank cavalry units. Then you can draw a line where you want them to go or alt-click on a central spot. Control-A selects them all, you can then alt-click on a spot of ground and your whole army will march in formation to it. And one more thing, if you know a unit or group of units is going to be clobbered by charging cavalry it helps to put them on hold formation

[Scurvy]

playing online multiplayer a lot i'v never tried the pause button (played mp before sp) and when you get used to it i dont think its needed, although i can see the advantages, i dont think its "cheap" as a good general uses all the resources available

[mfberg]

If I can arrange a large battle so I only have to look at one horse archer at a time I don't use pause, if I am forced to manage 6 HA units all at the same time then pause keeps me from losing my temper.

mfberg

[Martok]

I'm only a mediocre field commander even against the AI, so I'm not shy at all when it comes to using the pause button. This is particularly true when playing as the Spanish and Egyptians (my 2 favorite factions), as I pretty much have to use the pause button to effectively micromanage Spanish Jinnettes and HA's, respectively.

[Scurvy]

hmm, i normally trust the AI on skirmish to at least warn me when they are being attacked... using ha's in 3's works very well as there are enough to do some damage without having to pause, with 6 id split into 2 groups and attack on on each flank so i would only have to use 3 at a time, jinettes are a bit different i find them really hard to use, and prefer javelin foot troops...

[Monarch]

(I dont play MTW, but I play RTW...)

I dont use pause. Dont really have an opinion on cheeating or not, but it is actually impossible to do on RTWMP since every player must press pause simultaneously before the game actually pauses, so nobody bothers. The same for MTW? But even in SP I dont use it, not sure why.

[gaijinalways]

I have used pauses frequently. Pretty much all of the units don't interact well. Some will continue chasing an enemy that is running, either exhausting themselves or continueing until they are slaughtered. Also units aren't smart enough to avoid getting showered with arrows or at least trying to lessen the damage. And occasionally I might forget about a unit and they will be standing around, even with units they could b attacking nearby.

So, ye, when I start playing again, I will definately use the pause button. But of course, if I want to practice for MP, yes I would definately stop using it.

[Just A Girl]

I have Never paused mid battle Even if i really need to go to the toilet.
(should have thought of that before entering battle)

Pausing mid battle is Cheating IMHO.
And I would have No self respect if i would stoop to such low levels.

[Just A Girl]

Just as a side note...

I usualy use my cav as my most mobile units,
these are grouped in to 2 groups 1 for each flank,

I will manualy controll flank attacks and distruptive attacks using my cav.

If i want all my infantry to start fighting i will select all my infantry.
And tell them to attack 1 centeral unit.
Then as they march i will then individualy asign there targets to them,
By the time they arive at the enemy,
All units have there individual orders and all arive roughly the same time,

theres no need to pause,

[mfberg]

I have Never paused mid battle Even if i really need to go to the toilet.
(should have thought of that before entering battle)

I went into battle, (1/2 stack of Vikings vs 3 stacks of rebels) got up and left the computer for a good hour and a half, went back to the computer and the battle wasn't complete, but my men had done very well for themselves, and all I had to do was wipe out the remaining artillery units.

mfberg

[Martok]

I went into battle, (1/2 stack of Vikings vs 3 stacks of rebels) got up and left the computer for a good hour and a half, went back to the computer and the battle wasn't complete, but my men had done very well for themselves, and all I had to do was wipe out the remaining artillery units.

mfberg

That's both funny and wrong on so many levels....

[Roark]

I have Never paused mid battle Even if i really need to go to the toilet.
(should have thought of that before entering battle)

Pausing mid battle is Cheating IMHO.
And I would have No self respect if i would stoop to such low levels.

IMHO?

Do you even know what the "H" stands for?

[Just A Girl]

Indeed :)

And i can be if i chose to be.

[aw89]

I've played RTW for about a year now, so I have no reason to pause unless I miss and hit the start battle button.

[Ciaran]

I don´t mind using the pause function. Games are supposed to be fun, and not to be able to pause would make it too much like work. Dropping dead from stress-induced heartstroke caused by my job at forty is fine with me, but having my livespan reduced by a further ten years because of my pasttime is not.