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Turn based allows you to focus more on positioning, the usage of abilities and items and generally feel more tactical. You can do all these things in real time games, but they tend to feel more chaotic and haphazard and many abilities/consumables may not get used at all, especially when playing a party based game.

Long time reader here, finally found a reason to register

When it comes to Real Time with Pause or Turn Based I don't really have a preference. Both modes are equally good in terms of gameplay but generally I think TB is a little bit more tactical (and feels a bit more... serious) and allows much more (infinite ) time to think about the next move. There is more control of what the party members will do and when. I'm playing Wizardry 8 right now and it's always fun to start yet another turn, go out for a smoke and return to a finished combat encounter

Why is turn-based combat better than real-time combat?

Because I'm old, easily confused, and fast moving graphics frighten me.

Because there are those of us who love to think!

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Stahlklinge said:

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But then...what is the question?

Oh right, well, I would say it isn't by default. It's just that of all the games I've enjoyed through the years most of the ones I've enjoyed the most have been turn based. But as long as it's not twitch based it's fine, RTwP is exellent as long as you get a proper sense of the rounds (like in Baldurs Gate, which is actually turn based but you play it in real time right?). Dragon Age and other later installments of RTwP got it wrong in my book.

I like the choices you get in combat that would be impossible in real time combat and also I do poorly at real time combat. My most favorite game has real time combat so combat isn't as important as other aspects in what makes a game good though.

There's a satisfaction to turn-based that simply doesn't exist in Real Time (even with pause). Maximizing your units and understanding the field of play, and effectively using that against an opponent can't be beat. There's a reason chess is still as popular today as it was hundreds of years ago. And there's a humility that goes with it too. When you lose, you know why you lost. It wasn't because someone else has a faster clicks per minute or because the computer cheated. It was because they were smarter. A hard pill to swallow sometimes but an intellectually satisfying and ultimately encouraging one. Cuz man does it feel great when you're on the other side of that equation.

Stahlklinge said:

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I second this.

Turn based is better because MATH, and my fingers hurt if there's constant action. The real reason is that managing multiple units is impossible to properly do in real time. Even RTwP wherein you assign a few actions ahead of time fails to give you the control and accuracy of turn based.

Because TB systems provide the opportunity to plan movements ahead. While real-time strategy games often suffer by rushed decisions, the turn based approach allows players to think about advantages and disadvantages for each move. Furthermore got new gamers without previous experience the chance to use the time and learn more about the different combinations - not beeing afraid that the enemy rushes towards their basement.

For me turn based lets me think about all my options, as well it harkens back to growing up playing board games. So part is nostalgia part is the control factor.

Because its the closest I feel you can get to tabletop gaming and has a certain nostalgic charm to it.

There's also the fact that I don't have nearly as good reflexes as I used to have and I like to sip my coffee or whiskey (depending on the game and time of the day ) while I think through the most efficient move I can make .

Because I can more easily refresh my beer/coffee/etc. while playing without being stomped!

Turn based tactical games can be played at ones own pace, play it when your waiting for some one, while you commit, when you can't sleep, to relax, beat yourself specially when it has a score system with turn counts (damaged units, enemy units destroyed, etc...).

Turn based makes you more in control and more organized, focus on positioning. Its easier to understand every detail and effects of each individual units, weapons, skills, powers, etc... And sometimes control your opponent to do exactly the moves you want. What a rush when that happens.

I think a real time system is more about strategy, the abstraction and chaotic and luck that it all works out. Turn based is about tactics, detail, controlling the luck factor.

Turn based combat is better than real-time for a couple of reasons. First turn-based allows true strategy to be implemented. Real-time combat comes down to a twitch-fest. There is no true application of strategy and tactics in real-time combat. Turn based combat allows you to lay out your team/company/party according to several factors (terrain, enemy strength, enemy capabilities). You can then plan your strategy accordingly. Real-time combat rarely takes into account such things. I want my victory to be a result of my tactics and strategy not based on the strength and agility of my index finger and my mouse.

"Why is turn-based combat better than real-time combat?"

I think intrinsically, as a system, it depends on the type of game you wish to make, the mechanics which you include in said game and how you go about designing areas in a game. For instance, having turn-based combat while confronting trash mobs is frustrating to say the least, or having to wait a ridiculously long time because there is a large battle taking place (such as the Blade's attack on the Regulators in Fallout 1) etc.

Personally, I don't have a specific preference as to whether a game is designed with either Real Time/RTwP or Turn-Based, so long as the actual game ensures that it takes it's chosen combat mechanic into key consideration while designing the other mechanics and whatnot, and not just as an afterthought, otherwise it really affects the quality and enjoyability of the game.

It is nice to see a resurgence in Turn-Based combat though, and I hope Daedalic can pull it off with Blackguards.

Also, for those who are interested in reading further, Torment Tides of Numenera recently decided upon their combat system (Turn-based) and systematically responded to a variety of arguments regarding Turn-Based with some fairly intelligent and well-thought out responses, showing why (while taking into consideration of the backers vote) they chose to do Turn-Based instead of Real-Time with Pause.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/inxile/torment-tides-of-numenera/posts/686723

It makes for an interesting read.

Because turn-based combat is the RPG equivalent of bullet time.

It's not "better" per-say ...it's simply different

I enjoy both Turn-based and Real-Time combat games.

Though a hybrid is nice where one can pause the action and give commands on the fly, as in Dragon Age.

I'm excited for a chance to win a copy (Steam) of Blackguards, had it on my Wish List there for a while

Best Regards,

Rol

To think, perchance to dream. Cause when I dream in real time I die.