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[naitosan]

I dated a girl who used to pause movies all the time for every little thing, even in the middle of the climax... it drove me insane.

Tell me about it. My wife suddenly say, "pause! I gotta go bathroom!" in middle of the climax. I'm like, hold on, this is almost over but it already ruined the mood. :/

I agree, all games need to have 'pause' mode especially those online games. I understand it's not always possible like you can't 'pause' in middle of raiding or something. But damn it, I don't want to keep getting my wife mad at me for not listening... lol

 

[Alucrid]

When you pause, tell the server to set a 'no matchmaking' flag on your IP. When you unpause, tell the server to unset that flag. Job done. All the other systems can continue running in the background.

lazy devs

 

[Narroo]

Didn't Demon Soul's have some form of a Pause Menu? I believe it was possible to pause the game, just not in the equipment menus and so on.

 

[Zophar]

Souls games do have a pause function. It's the "quit to title screen" option.

 

[Garlador]

But I don't have 6 seconds to spare.

I need to pause right now!

As someone who was in the middle of fighting Ornstein and Smough - and had been for two straight hours - and was about to finally win, only for an emergency to come up that took precedence, I lost far more than "6 seconds".

 

[Ucchedavāda]

What about messages, phantoms etc? The game is in constantly online mode.

What about them?
The game can essentially just stop requesting that information from the server, and then start requesting it again once the client is unpaused. Messages and bloodstains do not need to be sent / processed in real-time, and I very much doubt that phantoms do either. This is already (partially) implemented, in that the game does not fetch / show these during boss-battles, but will do so once the battle is over.

 

[Deleted member 752119]

yeah thats how ive had to deal with it, just sucks having to wait through the loading screens.

It really sucked in Bloodborne, especially pre patch. Thankfully the load times were much better in DS3.

 

[TokiDoki]

You know you can just quit the game and then reload to get back where you quitted . It kinda work as pause .

As someone who was in the middle of fighting Ornstein and Smough - and had been for two straight hours - and was about to finally win, only for an emergency to come up that took precedence, I lost far more than "6 seconds".

If you're close to beating a boss , it means that you've developed a strategy to actually win so it doesn't matter if you restart . Seriously people really don't get Souls game .

 

[007]

As someone who was in the middle of fighting Ornstein and Smough - and had been for two straight hours - and was about to finally win, only for an emergency to come up that took precedence, I lost far more than "6 seconds".

6 seconds to navigate and select "exit to title screen", not the amount of time you'd save. You can't predict an emergency, hence the nature of them. However it doesn't justify the existence of a pause feature in a game designed not to have one.

I bet you played it again and beat them, didn't you?

 

[Ucchedavāda]

You know you can just quit the game and then reload to get back where you quitted . It kinda work as pause .

Yes, we know:

No. Quit the game if you want a break. You'll respawn on the exact same spot (in the games you listed).

Also just quit. It saves literally after every single action you make.

you can usually just quit out of Souls games and it saves wherever you are.

The game autosaves basically after every action, so you can just quit to the main menu and load right back in where you quit.

Save and quit can be just as effective as a pause button. It just takes a few steps more than a single input.

If you're playing a Souls game and you find yourself in a situation where you would need to pause, just quit to the menu. You'll get booted right back to where you were when you get back. It's effectively the same thing.

Nah, suspending means disconnecting which takes you to the menu. Basically, saving and quitting would be better and probably just as fast. Souls is also very generous with the auto saving anyway, so you could probably just turn off your system and lose maybe 30 seconds of gameplay at the most.

Souls games always save your progress. Just quit to the main menu. When you restart your character will be just where you left him.

Not sure if this works during boss battles though (never tried it)

Worst case you can just save and quit, and the game will hold your position. You can save anywhere, anytime.

You can pause the souls games by just quitting to the menu.

It's not too bad in Souls since it saves your place if you quit. You want to talk pain in the ass, I still haven't played anything more annoying with that than Monster Hunter 1.

Souls games do have a pause function. It's the "quit to title screen" option.

 

[Shifty]

6 seconds to navigate and select "exit to title screen", not the amount of time you'd save.

6 seconds of your character standing around doing nothing versus the almost none of having a pause button.

6 seconds that the big guy with the hammer will spend pounding your character into a fine paste.

It's not feasible.

 

[Garlador]

If you're close to beating a boss , it means that you've developed a strategy to actually win so it doesn't matter if you restart . Seriously people really don't get Souls game .

I took me several more hours to beat them. Didn't matter that my "strategy" at the time was to summon Solaire, but dying meant the loss of my humanity and the ability to summon him. My "strategy" was screwed and I was out of humanity. It wasted a huge chunk of my time when all I needed was one minute to take care of real-life business.

6 seconds to navigate and select "exit to title screen", not the amount of time you'd save. You can't predict an emergency, hence the nature of them.

Exactly. Which is why it's nice to be able to PAUSE for them. Because life doesn't pause for video games.

However it doesn't justify the existence of a pause feature in a game designed not to have one.

Why not? Especially if I played offline?

I bet you played it again and beat them, didn't you?

Many, many frustrating hours later. In fact, losing that fight convinced me to just mod the game for my next playthrough. I spent less time learning how to do that then I did banging my head against Fatboy and Slim over and over again.

... I enjoyed the modded version much more. Heh.

 

[PsihoPerihelion]

So, you are telling us that a Souls game, a Souls spin-off and a Souls-inspired game don't have pause screen. I see no pattern on this, nope.

 

[007]

6 seconds of your character standing around doing nothing versus the almost none of having a pause button.

6 seconds that the big guy with the hammer will spend pounding your character into a fine paste.

It's not feasible.

First example I see no problem with. You're not engaged in gameplay so you should have plenty of time to navigate through the menu to exit.

Second example a pause button won't save you. If you're about to get pounded into paste pausing is only delaying the inevitable.

 

[Zocano]

As pointed out in the previous page, not every game needs to adjust to everyone's needs or desires. And also, said several times, the Souls games are almost unique in regard to being single-player a lot of the time and also restricting any actual "pause".

It's okay if not every game has it.

 

[zeemumu]

Pausing would let you break souls games pretty easily.

 

[Spiral Insanity]

What about messages, phantoms etc? The game is in constantly accessing online features.. Fundamentally I don't think the system could handle a pause unless they redesigned it from the bottom up.

Exactly.

 

[Garlador]

Exactly.

I played offline. Never got them anyway....

 

[KorrZ]

This literally isn't even an issue in Souls games, because if you need to "pause" you can just quit to the menu and it'll instantly load you back to EXACTLY where you were.

Obviously when games have such a tied in single player/online experience like Souls it doesn't really make sense to have a pause button.

 

[styl3s]

The games you listed are fair not having pause due on-line component.

But you can opt out of playing those games online.

What's the excuse for not having that feature off-line?

 

[Tain]

I'm fine if arcade styled games omit pausing entirely, tbh. The thought of a game requiring you to do something without pause isn't inherently bad.

Souls has pausing, just in a bulkier form, and that's fine.

 

[TimeEffect]

But there is no reason to want one in Souls games.

It's not even about difficulty. People completely misunderstand why Souls games dont have one. It's about the persistent online, not difficulty.

You stand perfectly still in most locations, and youre perfectly safe.

A pause mode does nothing in these games, except mess with the persistent online gameplay, invasions, summons, etc

Edit: I guess I forgot about offline scenarios when you're right in the middle of a battle or boss fight. Maybe it's hard to implement?

 

[NinjamicWZ]

You can't pause in Alienation either. Comes with the territory of either being online or from needing to ensure that you're safe to idle as part of a games intended tension. It fucks me over some times too, but such is the way of things. It's very much an exception. Out of thousands upon thousands of games I've played, less than a handful are built this way.

 

[Spiral Insanity]

I played offline. Never got them anyway....

This is not the game Miyazaki wants you to play.

 

[Screaming Meat]

6 seconds of your character standing around doing nothing versus the almost none of having a pause button.

6 seconds that the big guy with the hammer will spend pounding your character into a fine paste.

It's not feasible.

It's not even 6 seconds. It's a couple at most.

I like the idea that when you're in the game, you're in the game. To a degree, you're always under threat when you're engaged with it, with no easy respite unless you decide to exit the world. I like it as a design choice.

I say this as the parent of a very young and very restless child.

This is not the game Miyazaki wants you to play.

Is that why there's an option to play offline when you boot up...?

 

[phierce]

heresatissue.gif

 

[jhmtehgamr20xx]

They do: it's called the Start button (or Options menu).

 

[007]

It's not even 6 seconds. It's a couple at most.

I like the idea that when you're in the game, you're in the game. To a degree, you're always under threat when you're engaged with it, with no easy respite unless you decide to exit the world. I like it as a design choice.

But every game should cater to my ever need. If the game does something I don't like, that's the failing of the game designer. It's not possible that the game is not suitable for me, it's poorly designed.

 

[Garlador]

But every game should cater to my ever need. If the game does something I don't like, that's the failing of the game designer. It's not possible that the game is not suitable for me, it's poorly designed.

Sounds like the excuse Sony used for LAIR. Or Nintendo for half their games that sometimes physically hurt you because you didn't bend over and get used to their often inane design decisions.

"No, you see, you're playing it wrong. It's not poorly designed. Here's a giant booklet telling you how to play the game correctly. What, your hand hurts? Fine, here's a stand for Kid Icarus. What do you mean you don't think controlling a Zelda game exclusively with the stylus makes it better? What, NOW you're complaining about the calibration in Star Fox Zero? Git gud, son!"

 

[NinjamicWZ]

Even if the online component was non-existent, you're still supposed to be vulnerable to enemy attacks that you didn't take seriously enough as a possibility.

 

[TheWorthyEdge]

I do think Souls or whatever should have a pause button.

 

[Garlador]

Even if the online component was non-existent, you're still supposed to be vulnerable to enemy attacks that you didn't take seriously enough as a possibility.

Other games do that and still let you pause.

Resident Evil games often had surprise attacks that came where you least expected it... but you can still pause.

 

[Eusis]

I don't know about invasions, but I can attest that sitting at bonfires does not reset the spawns of enemies that may or may not be chasing you all the way back there.

That was usually the Black Knights as a "surprise mother fucker" move. If they're far enough away or aren't special they'll vanish. But they might still hit you and break it before the reset completes.

Well, having your bloodstain next to the bonfire is convenient at least.

 

[007]

Other games do that and still let you pause.

Resident Evil games often had surprise attacks that came where you least expected it... but you can still pause.

Doesn't matter. Not every game has to have a pause.

Unless it was a cert spec that all games need one, it's fine to not have one. It's designed to be a constant investment when playing, only ending when you exit and put the controller down.

I can understand wanting a pause feature, but saying it needs one is wrong.

 

[Garlador]

Doesn't matter. Not every game has to have a pause.

Unless it was a cert spec that all games need one, it's fine to not have one. It's designed to be a constant investment when playing, only ending when you exit and put the controller down.

I can understand wanting a pause feature, but saying it needs one is wrong.

Isn't what you said how most people want games to be? What developer wants you to NOT be immersed in their game?

I even remember an old interview with Silent Hill's dev team saying they intentionally made the monsters LESS lethal to keep players from dying as frequently, because, according to them, having the words "you died" tossed at you in the middle of a session breaks the immersion and reminds you that you're just playing a game. Their goal was to make monsters that looked more deadly than they actually were and work on a psychological way that, while not harmless, worked to freak you out and make you scared even if they weren't as big of a threat as their designs let on.

I mean, it's not really "fine" not to have a very handy feature other games have when that same decision has worked against the game from time to time. Is there any reason why NOT to include a pause feature when playing offline? There were times where I, absolutely, NEEDED that pause feature in the midst of a tough battle when life got in my way - an important phone call, a package delivery, a medical emergency, a family crisis. This wasn't just one or two times, and I'm sure it wasn't just me.

It may not be essential... but it damn sure would be appreciated.

 

[Jingo]

6 seconds to navigate and select "exit to title screen", not the amount of time you'd save. You can't predict an emergency, hence the nature of them. However it doesn't justify the existence of a pause feature in a game designed not to have one.

I bet you played it again and beat them, didn't you?

Then we have to ask why we always had (and still have) pause option in games, isnt for when you need to take a pause?

 

[007]

...I even remember an old interview with Silent Hill's dev team saying they intentionally made the monsters LESS lethal to keep players from dying as frequently, because, according to them, having the words "you died" tossed at you in the middle of a session breaks the immersion and reminds you that you're just playing a game. Their goal was to make monsters that looked more deadly than they actually were and work on a psychological way that, while not harmless, worked to freak you out and make you scared even if they weren't as big of a threat as their designs let on.

I mean, it's not really "fine" not to have a very handy feature other games have when that same decision has worked against the game from time to time. Is there any reason why NOT to include a pause feature when playing offline? There were times where I, absolutely, NEEDED that pause feature in the midst of a tough battle when life got in my way - an important phone call, a package delivery, a medical emergency, a family crisis. This wasn't just one or two times, and I'm sure it wasn't just me.

It may not be essential... but it damn sure would be appreciated.

Death in Souls games is a narrative device as well as a game mechanic. It's not a revert to last checkpoint with your death never happening: You do die, and come back. It's part of the narrative and is well worth the price of admission.

The argument here is games can benefit from a pause feature, but it isn't necessity. As others have said this game may not have a conventional pause mechanic, but there are alternatives.

 

[Nosgotham]

one of the best games ever made didnt have a pause button, PSO. never bothered me then or in souls games. i think a pause woukd destroy the tension

 

[Salty Rice]

I didn't know that Ni-oh doesn't let you pause the game, gonna pass on the game now.

Hope this is a joke or this deserves to be in the one thread about dumb reasons why people dont wanna play a game.

 

[wiibomb]

pause? you want to pause Dark Souls?

Press Options, then left on the D-pad, then A button, then Up on D-Pad, then Press A.

I works wonders for me... it also helps me take the game seriously

Hope this is a joke or this deserve to be in the one thread about dumb reasons why people dont wanna play a game.

Its is very dumb, but often it just masks a person who was faking interest in a title

they will find the most dumb reason to justify their exit.

 

[Familienoberhauptvogel]

Always annoyed me in souls I got invaded once and am pretty sure I cheesed him. I'd gladly give up that experience to be able to pause. If I want to cheese souls games I will find a way anyway.

It's not like souls invented collecting your corpse. Diablo did let you pause in single player.

 

[Steel]

This is going to be the next dark souls pause thread isn't it?

Can BB or DS be "suspended"?

Quit. Takes a few button presses but can be done in <5 seconds.

 

[UmbraeCruxis]

I understand what lot of people are saying, but I just want a pause functionality. If food comes to my door, I don't want to have to quit the game, I want to quickly pause the game get the food come back and unpause without any loading screens in the middle. If I'm playing offline, I don't think that's too much to ask....

 

[Orochinagis]

Souls games have an offline mode where you can "pause" the game, not sure if Dark Souls 3 have it but Dark Souls 2 and BB have that feature

 

[Megatron]

(but I do hate when you can't pause cutscenes in certain games)

Oh god yes. And im afraid to try it for fear that by pushing start I will accidentally skip the cutscene instead.

 

[wiibomb]

I understand what lot of people are saying, but I just want a pause functionality. If food comes to my door, I don't want to have to quit the game, I want to quickly pause the game get the food come back and unpause without any loading screens in the middle. If I'm playing offline, I don't think that's too much to ask....

get in a safe place and go.. I do it all the time, no need to pause

 

[NinjamicWZ]

Other games do that and still let you pause.

Resident Evil games often had surprise attacks that came where you least expected it... but you can still pause.

A few games don't and that makes them different.

 

[007]

Then we have to ask why we always had (and still have) pause option in games, isnt for when you need to take a pause?

That is indeed why the pause feature came into existence. As you can see no one here is denying the usefulness of this feature.

Is it not acceptable to have one series that removes this feature so as to invest you more into the world? Once you hit start and spawn in, your playing constantly up until you decide to quit. Surely you can see why the lack of a pause feature is here?

It was a design choice. Like it or not it was chosen to be this way. Pausing is a welcomed feature many games have, but I don't mind one series without it or other games that justify the lack of pausing.

If the lack of a dedicated pause button and risks that presents outweighs the enjoyment of playing the game, thats on you.

 

[NinjamicWZ]

Housemarque just released Alienation with no pause function. Another online game where you also need to ensure you're safe to try inventory management or idling, and can get jumped by a horde event at any time, and may need to get out of the menu and back to play in a panic. Clearly they're too incompetent to program in a basic pause function. Only good games have that and only good developers know how to do it.

Right, guys?

 

[Melchiah]

A game like Alienation sure could use a pause option, when you're playing by yourself.