Multiplayer Pause Capability - LAN

"You all get up here RIGHT NOW - Dinner's on the table!!" "Yes, Grandma !"

from Stardock Forums
In the other thread (about reviewing data while paused) some comments were made about multiplayer not having (or shouldn't have) the function.

I know this is a Beta 3 issue, but....

One of the settings I tend to play multiplayer games in is via ad-hoc LAN, and, as the subtitle suggests, these can get to be multi-generational and at family gatherings. The capacity for the host machine to put the game on PAUSE while gameplay is suspended (for such things as eating as a family, for example) is an essential feature. (Without the electric shock ad-on, please   )

Since this situation is entirely local, system security &/or offline planning ala single player is not an issue, and in fact an agreed upon period for familiarization after a break is easy to negotiate and enforce.

Internet play, of course, IS a different issue.
7,259 views 8 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top
for custom games i agree
An option for this should be made available, before the game starts, on lan or online
Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top
I would agree that pause is a necessity in multiplayer. As a father of four, I tend to find myself looking for the pause button rather frequently when playing multiplayer (I play only understanding, friendly games as I typically spend almost a third of the "game time" not at my computer, dealing with the kids latest emergency). As such, I tend to shy away from games that don't allow this to occur, or tend to make a poor partner as I am used to typing "gurard my base for a minute, someone is crying again," or "brb, there are slugs in the house!" Maybe an option where everyone could "opt in" via radio button prior to the game starting, or listed as an option for the host to select (right next to victory conditions) and displayed such that everyone is (or should be) aware that it is possible. Not to steal from others work too much, but SupCom implemented a clever means where the number of "timeouts" a player could take was set to a fixed number (or unlimited) as an option. This allows for the unplanned emergency bathroom break, or (in my case) the scheduled crisis of the minute.

Just (about) my 2 cents.

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Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top

for custom games i agree
An option for this should be made available, before the game starts, on lan or online


Also in agreement. It's really a valid option for any gametype, as long as there are no benefits to pausing (command queuing, or even moving about the map). If it is paused, the game freezes essentially without any clickable features except unpause. It'd be a nice thing to have.
Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top
there is no pause, watch the WOW episode of southpark, see cartman doesn't need any pause!!!!!
Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top
Yeah! More people agree with me. There should always be a pause option for any game IMO. Let the players decide if they want it enabled or not but to not add one as a design principle because something is "online" is just bad reasoning.

In short as far as I'm concerned the more options a player has the better the product.
Reply #6 from Sins Forums Top
Agree.

My friend I'm gonna play with has kids. Sometimes...you just need to pause. I hope this is added.
Reply #7 from Sins Forums Top
Pausing IS in the game, in multiplayer. Just hit the "Pause Break" key on your keyboard. Tested this last night in an IronClad Online Multiplayer game with my friend. It said "ironwill96 has 10 pauses remaining" when I did it, so it looks like it is metered per person. This is a thread from May of last year waaay back in early beta, so it was probably added sometime after this thread was posted.
Reply #8 from Sins Forums Top
It was added in the release version, iirc. You can (presumably, not tested) mod the number of allowable pauses per player in your

C:\Documents and Settings\(your user name)\Local Settings\Application Data\Ironclad Games\Sins of a Solar Empire\Setting\user.setting

file, by changing the "MultiPlayerMaxPauseCount 10" line.

I'm pretty sure the other players in the game would need to mod that to the same value, because the game checks to make sure you're using the same files. On the other hand, it is a settings file so it may not care, and may just take the lowest number among the players.